Christmas 2023 round-up: Watch all the festive ads

British Airways ‘A British original’ by Uncommon Creative Studio

British Airways built on its "A British original" campaign with this special Christmas edition. The ads explore different festive traditions and the classic question many people answer when they go abroad: “What is the purpose of your visit?” One ad features a pulled cracker with a "paper joke" inside, but instead of a joke it’s a series of tick boxes with the words “Business” “Leisure” and “Winter wanderlust”. Another shows a pack of cards from a board game and one depicts the tick boxes on a blow up bed.

Tesco ‘Become more Christmas’ by Bartle Bogle Hegarty

Following its 2023 Christmas ad, Tesco brought a digital screen to London's Kings Cross. The screen gradually filled with images of Christmas food available at the supermarket, before the festive fare came out of the billboard and spilt onto the concourse, with the final experience including giant baubles, stars, Christmas trees and fairy lights. It was created by Serradourada Guimaraes, Elliott White and Will Maxey.

Uber ‘Naughty or nice booth’ by Mother London

Uber rewarded its nicest riders by opening a "Naughty or nice booth" in Waterloo station. Those who had a rider rating of 4.83 (the average rating in the UK) or above received a green Christmas bauble, with a code to redeem Uber credit to use for their train home for Christmas. Those with a below-average rating were given a red bauble decorated with their rider rating.

Guinness ‘Foot pints’ by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO

Guinness has created a pair of snow boots that leave a trail of imprints resembling pints of the beverage. The limited edition boots and the brand's Christmas message are being promoted on social media. A 15-second film introduces the "Foot pints", which are black with a furry white collar. The boots are shown treading through the snow, leaving pints of Guinness behind them. 

Centrepoint ‘Violent Night’ by Wonderhood Studios

Centrepoint raises awareness of violence against people who are homeless. The charity has rewritten the words to the Christmas carol Silent Night to become "Violent Night", with lyrics that focus on the abuse young people experiencing homelessness can face. The song was performed by a choir led by young people affected by homelessness. The ad was directed by Nicolas Jack Davies through Sweetshop and created by Dave Farthing and Bryan Stewart.

‘A true story’ by Publicis Conseil

This short film shows Santa getting diagnosed with cancer and then being treated and recovering. It ends with the line: “Cancer can be cured and now, more than ever, is the time to believe in it.” The ad was directed by Vladimir de Fontenay through Iconoclast, written by Kevin Salembier and art directed by Nicolas Hurez.

Crisis ‘Always keep one eye open’ by Good

Crisis has used Christmas to shine a light on the realities of rough sleeping. The outdoor work includes the line “I always kept one eye open” to highlight the dangers of sleeping on the streets. A planned social post also carries the words “I walked all night”. The campaign uses real quotes from people who have slept on the streets. It was created by Andy Powell alongside artworkers Paul Brand and Ian Jeavons.

Prime Video ‘Harry Kane’ by Dark Horses

This 40-second film shows footballer Harry Kane enjoying his first Christmas off. The England captain is shown decorating his Christmas tree with a Golden Boot, playing charades with England teammate James Maddison and trying his hand at some festive baking. But there’s something missing. Kane soon realises it isn’t Christmas without football and settles in to watch the Boxing Day match-round on Prime Video. The ad was directed by Tom Marshall through HunkyDory Films and created by Jezebel Carr and Ellis McKenzie.

Samsung UK ‘Greatest hits’ by Mother London

Samsung parodies music compilation CDs in this spot to promote the Samsung Galaxy S23 “fan edition” device. The ad stars Fearne Cotton and Raheem Sterling, who introduce the tracks that feature in the album “Galaxy S23 FE greatest hits”. The tracks represent different features of the device, cutting between songs titled Smart Brightness, Long Battery Life, Super Fast Processing Speed and Spectacular Camera. It cuts between the different music videos, which depict various dramatic scenes. The ad was directed by Felix Brady through Stink Films.

The Soup Kitchen London ‘Homeless Christmas dinners’ by Wonderhood Studios

The Soup Kitchen London, which provides food for the homeless and vulnerable, explored the make-shift meals some homeless people have had to eat at Christmas in a photo series. The dish is the focus of the image, ranging from ketchup pasta to a tin of cold baked beans. The images aim to encourage people to make a donation to the charity so that those experiencing homelessness can have a proper Christmas dinner. The campaign was created by Tad Buxton and India Penny, and photographed by Lizzie Mayson.

Lidl ‘Save another way... the Lidl way’ by Coolr

Lidl’s social media agency, Coolr, has created a parody of East-17's Stay Another Day in a film starring one of the band members, Tony Mortimer. The film promotes the supermarket’s rewards app and opens by replicating the original music video. It then cuts to a Lidl store as Mortimer is clad in skiwear and his band members in Lidl Christmas jumpers. The song is available on Spotify and Lidl GB is donating £100,000 to the NSPCC's Childline service.

Coca-Cola ‘The santa stories’ by WPP Open X

“The Note” and “Ho Ho Heist” are two short films starring Octavia Spencer, Scoot McNairy and Colm Meaney. “Ho Ho Heist” follows a group of cops that break up a holiday heist, locking up Father Christmas as a result. “The Note” follows a man who only says "no" until one day he finds a message in a bottle. “Ho Ho Heist” was directed by Steven Caple Jr and “The Note” was directed by Bryce Dallas Howard. They were produced through Imagine Entertainment and Prettybird.

Greenies ‘Stuck’ by Adam & Eve/DDB

This 30-second ad opens with a commotion inside a chimney as soot falls down into the fireplace. A dog, who is snoozing next to the Christmas tree, perks up and sees Santa Claus poking his head out of the chimney, unfortunately lodged inside. The dog plods over to investigate and ends up licking his face. Santa, disgusted by the dog’s breath, reaches for a bag of Greenies Dental Treats. It was directed by Harold Einstein through Outsider and was created by John Trainor-Tobin and Jeppe Vidstrup.

'Iceland’s unofficial Christmas ad' by Herman Dias and Charlie Loxley

Iceland chose not to spend money on a Christmas ad this year and to invest in keeping its prices low instead. In response to this decision, creatives Herman Dias and Charlie Loxley created an unofficial ad to spotlight the supermarket’s choice. The ad simply features a receipt wrapped in a bow with copy saying: “Some supermarkets spend millions to make a Christmas ad. We’ve saved millions to make your Christmas a cracker.”

Ikea ‘Turkey-sized meatball’ by Mother London

Ikea has offered an alternative to the classic Christmas dinner this year by creating a 4.5kg meatball the size of a turkey. The giant meatball will be served with Ikea’s lingonberry jam and meatball sauce and those on a plant-based diet will be offered a Veggieball Christmas Tree alternative, which comes with a cone-shaped base. People can be in with a chance of winning the turkey-sized meatball through Ikea’s social media channels as well as an in-store competition.

Now ‘So much to love’ by House 337

Comedian Katherine Ryan returns in Now's Christmas ad as the hard-to-please critic, but this time she’s dressed as a Christmas pudding. Ryan walks into the office of "Now quality control" and asks them to show her what they’ve got this festive season as she plonks herself down in front of a TV. It was directed by Juliet May through Merman Productions.

Apple ‘Bigger Christmas trees' by TBWA\Media Arts Lab London

Apple joined forces with artist David Hockney to promote its iPad products through a Christmas light display on its headquarters inside Battersea Power Station. The illustrations were created by Hockney using an iPad Pro and Apple pencil. The 10-minute animation can be seen between 5pm and 10.30pm until Christmas Day.

Channel 4 ‘Christmas idents’ by 4Creative

This year, the star of Channel 4’s Christmas idents is the titular character from Judith Kerr’s Mog series of children’s books. The idents tease an animation of the book, Mog’s Christmas, which will be airing on the channel this month. The 20-second film shows Mog interrupting Christmas preparations made by her owner Mr Thomas. It was made in partnership with Lupus Films.

Burger King ‘Driving (thru the) home (of the Whopper) for Christmas’ by Bartle Bogle Hegarty

Burger King rewrites the lyrics of the Christmas hit Driving Home for Christmas by Chris Rea in this 1980s-style music video. The song has been given an unusual twist as it directs people to 21 Burger King Drive Thru locations across the UK. Not only that, but the song is performed by a singing and dancing sat-nav. The music video shows the device performing in the studio. It was directed by Yannick Hausler and Joe Azad through Black Sheep Studios, written by Charlie Pendarves and Marc Rayson, and art directed by Chloe Stephenson and Callum Prior.

Tui ‘Happy holidays’ by Leo Burnett UK

This 60-second ad shows what Santa’s elves get up to on holiday. Set to Ricky Martin’s Livin' La Vida Loca, it opens with the elves looking out of the window as the boss departs on his sleigh shouting: “Thanks for everything, elves.” The elves then hop on a plane to their holiday destination and proceed to relax by the pool, take a dip in the sea, take part in yoga lessons and build some impressive sandcastles. It was directed by Alex Boutell through Rogue.

Cadbury Dairy Milk Coins 'Coins' by VCCP London

Cadbury has celebrated the return of Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate coins with an out of home campaign by VCCP.

A celebration of getting over-excited about Christmas, baubles and fairy lights burst out of their billboard in Leeds to cover the whole building.

For three Christmas enthusiasts, the brand helped them decorate their houses even earlier than usual with Cadbury Coins lights and captured the results for social media.

Apple 'Fuzzy feelings' by TBWA\Media Arts Lab

Apple presents a modern-day take on Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol, with a tale of a woman who offloads her frustration at her hostile boss by imagining unfortunate scenarios befalling him.

Set in London, “Fuzzy feelings” opens with a stop-motion scene set on a high street laden with snow. An Ebenezer Scrooge-like character knocks over a charity pot and proceeds to pick up the money and pocket it for himself. In an example of instant karma, the wind blows his hat away as his trousers drop to the floor revealing his boxers, before a snow plough envelops him in snow.

Tesco 'Become more Christmas' by Bartle Bogle Hegarty

People literally pop into Christmas items as they get into the festive spirit at different moments in the run-up to the big day. The ad follows a family enjoying the festive period as a father turns into a Christmas tree when he picks up a slice of panetonne at a Tesco.

His partner transforms into a snowwoman when she brings home the first mince pies of the season. However their teenage son is reluctant but finds his way after an emotional moment with his dad.

The work was created by Elliott White and Wil Maxey, and directed by Alaska through Iconoclast.

Aldi 'Pigs in Blankets Restaurant' by Clarion Communications

Aldi is opening a restaurant dedicated to pigs in blankets. The bottomless Pigs in Blankets Restaurant is opening on 24 November at London's Camden Passage and includes a "Press for PIBs" button that unlocks unlimited courses of the festive treat. The six-course menu showcases the pigs in blankets range available in Aldi stores.

Temptations ‘Cats lose their cool’ by Adam & Eve/DDB

The Mars Petcare cat food brand takes a trip back to the 1970s this Christmas with a performance by the sequin-clad “Armstrong Sisters”. The 40-second ad shows the sisters singing Deck the Halls to a live studio audience in a festive setting, complete with a fireplace and a Christmas tree.

Their performance is interrupted by a cat when it decides to jump up onto the piano stool and bash out a questionable tune. The sisters become distracted and end up pausing their show to give the cat a Temptations treat.

It was created by Ben Robinson and Mike Whiteside, and directed by Jeff Low through Biscuit Filmworks.

Unilever ‘Christmas jumpers’ by NotJust Clothing

 

Unilever teams up with Christmas jumper brand NotJust Clothing to create Marmite, Pot Noodle and Colman’s Mustard jumpers this festive season. Half of the profits from each sale will be donated to food bank network The Trussell Trust. The jumpers feature a typical Christmas pattern alongside images of the products. The Marmite jumper has the line “Spread the Christmas cheer” on the back while the Pot Noodle jumper reads “All I want for Christmas is noods”. The jumpers are available on the NotJust Clothing website.

KFC ‘Kentucky fried turkey’ by Mother London

Following a recent teaser suggesting that KFC might be bringing Kentucky fried turkey, or KFT, to its menu this festive season, KFC’s Christmas spot finally reveals what it has been cooking up.

The 40-second ad shows a KFC chef in the kitchen, prepping the ingredients needed for the recipe. Dramatically set to Nessun Dorma, the ad shows social media posts directed at KFC, requesting they bring turkey to the menu this year. It seems like KFC has been listening to its fans as the ad builds up to a grand reveal of a turkey Stacker.

However, there is something of an anticlimax when the copy reads: “We saw you. We heard you. And we ignored you. We're sticking with chicken.” It was directed by Eros Vlahos through MindsEye.

Peta ‘Kill the tradition, not a turkey’ by House 337

Peta encourages people to have a vegan Christmas once again with this dark animated film. It introduces viewers to Tessa the turkey, who explores odd Christmas traditions while singing a rejigged version of Deck the Halls.

She watches on as children post letters to Santa Claus, people bring trees inside their homes to decorate and puddings are set on fire. Tessa is then taken by a sinister figure, thrown into a van and driven to a factory. This is when she realises she’s also part of a Christmas tradition.

It was directed by Neil Stubbings through Jelly and created by Katy Hopkins, Steve Hawthorne, Paul Hancock and David Newbold.

Marks & Spencer ‘Gifting’ by in-house

Marks & Spencer releases a follow-up film for its 2023 Christmas campaign. It once again features the lost mittens, voiced by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, and the Christmas fairy, voiced by Dawn French. This time the mittens show their gratitude to the fairy by wrapping the entire living room up in wrapping paper, topped with ribbons and gift bows.

The Christmas fairy responds: “Guys, you shouldn’t have. No, honestly, you shouldn’t have.” She then tells the mittens that it’s what’s inside that counts, and takes them through the different foods people can buy their loved ones for Christmas this year.

The campaign was led by Rich Robinson, M&S Food marketing head of creative, and Robbie Black, M&S head of marketing. It was directed by Dom&Nic through Outsider.

Zalando 'Unwrap your story' by 72andSunny

This 30-second ad features actor, director and fashion designer Chloë Sevigny and follows her throughout the festive season. It shows Sevigny dragging a Christmas tree upstairs, cutting onions for family dinners, doing yoga and decorating a gingerbread house. It was directed by Justyna Obasi through Anorak and My Way.

Muji 'It's the simple things' by in-house

This 80-second animation explores many of the nice things about the winter season. It shows characters having warm bubble baths, drinking hot chocolate next to the fire, getting cosy in bed while they watch the snow fall outside, wrapping presents for loved ones and decorating a Christmas tree. It was created by artist Jenny Wright.

McDonald’s ‘Fancy a McDonald’s Christmas?’ by Leo Burnett UK

The start of this 90-second film takes place at a rather dull office Christmas party. It shows a woman, clad in a snowman costume, taking part in karaoke with her colleague. She receives a text during her performance from another co-worker, which simply includes some emojis of burgers and fries, alongside a question mark.

When she looks up, he raises his eyebrows at her, prompting the rest of the office to take a trip to McDonald’s. The ad is set to the 1980s track Jump by Van Halen and shows more and more people joining the gang in pursuit of the golden arches.

It was directed by Shannon Murphy through Smuggler and was created by Emma Brooke, Angus Crombie and Drew Davies.

JD Sports ‘The bag for life’ by Uncommon Creative Studio

JD Sports returns with an all-star cast for its 2023 Christmas ad campaign. Part of the wider “Forever forward” campaign, the 90-second film titled “The bag for life" focuses on the brand’s drawstring duffle bag as it appears alongside core moments in people’s lives.

Set to the track Sweet Harmony by Liquid, the ad stars Central Cee, Ants Live, Cat Burns and Kano. The film was directed by Amara Abbas through Iconoclast and created by Uncommon Creative Studio.

Asda ‘Karaoke Christmas tree’

Asda has created a Christmas tree that lights up when people sing Michael Bublé songs to it. The tree is a nod to the supermarket brand’s Christmas ad, which stars the man himself taking on the role of Asda’s chief quality officer. The 20-foot tree will appear at Kings Cross station on 16 November, between 10am and 7pm.

Marshalls ‘The holiday hustle’ by Wieden & Kennedy London

This 60-second film follows buyers at Marshalls embarking on a journey beyond the North Pole. They arrive at something resembling Santa’s toy workshop, but instead the buyers give their expertise on clothing, accessories, chocolates and more.

They are surrounded by holiday helpers and a 27-foot Christmas tree crafted from designer handbags. The ad also features Madonna's track 4 Minutes. It was created by Hollie Walker and Becca Pottinger, art directed by Andrew Bevan and written by Holly Attrill. It was directed by Freddie Powell through Drool.

John Lewis & Partners 'Let your traditions grow' by Saatchi & Saatchi London

A young boy comes across a box at a market that reads: "Grow your own perfect Christmas tree." He takes it home and as he watches it grows into a Venus fly trap that becomes too big to have in the house, so it is moved outside and is replaced by a traditional tree.

The little boy, feeling sorry for the plant, picks up a gift from under the Christmas tree and takes it outside to the Venus fly trap. His family follow. "Snapper" suddenly swallows the present whole and spits the contents out into the boy's hands and blows out wrapping paper confetti.

The work was created by Alex Kosterman and Avani Maan, and directed by Megaforce through RiffRaff.

KFC ‘Turkey teaser’ by Mother London

KFC teases a more Chistmas-y menu in this out-of-home and social push. It features a selection of messages sent to KFC every year requesting the fast food restaurant launches some more Christmas-y items. The work has copy saying: "KFC should have turkey on the menu for #Christmas", "Ever thought about Kentucky Fried Turkey?" and "Why don't KFC do KFT at Xmas?" The executions also feature the date “13.11.23", teasing that there might be turkey on the menu this year.

John Lewis & Partners ‘Christmas teaser’ by Saatchi & Saatchi London

 

Christmas begins 9 November �� #TraditionsGrow pic.twitter.com/kJI6PfNTOr

— John Lewis & Partners (@JohnLewisRetail) November 7, 2023

 

 

This 10-second teaser shows a little boy at a market with his grandmother. He finds a box with the words “Grow your own perfect Christmas tree” on it. He asks his gran if he can take this home with him, holding it up to show her as the camera tracks towards it. He opens the box to reveal a seed sitting inside. It ends with copy saying “John Lewis 9 November #TraditionsGrow.”

Amazon ‘Joy ride’ by in-house

This 60-second film features a stripped-back cover of the 1960s Beatles song In My Life played on the piano. It depicts three women sitting on a park bench, watching on as children enjoy some sledding in the snow.

One of the women makes an Amazon order and three sleds and helmets arrive. The three friends take part in the sledding, which causes them to have flashbacks to their childhood. It was directed by Wayne McClammy through Hungry Man.

Heathrow ‘On this day’ by St Luke’s

Heathrow explores the memories people make with loved ones at the airport with three 30-second spots. “Love”, “Arrival” and “Keepsake” depict different groups of people waiting for their flights, looking back on the memories made on previous trips.

“Love” follows a couple looking forward to future trips together when they see an older couple at the airport, “Arrival” features a couple telling their family they’re expecting a baby and “Keepsake” depicts a father and daughter reflecting on the loss of a loved one. It was directed by Ed Morris through RiffRaff Films and created by Phillip Meyler and Darren Keff.

Lovehoney ‘Christmas 2023’ by Leith

Lovehoney uses real customer experiences in this 20-second ad to spotlight how it feels to receive a gift from Lovehoney during the festive season. The film focuses on three real reviews left on the website, including “wow, wow, wow, this toy sent me to space”, “it’s ... orgasamazing!!!” and “definitely put this on your Christmas list”. It was art directed by Debbie Morgan, written by Mairi Wilson and directed by Emma Miranda Moore through Leith Studios.

Asda ‘Make this Christmas incredibublé’ by Havas London

Singer Michael Bublé fronts this 90-second festive film for Asda. It opens with Bublé messing around in his office by saying "clean up on aisle five" over the Tannoy, as the singer stands in as chief quality officer at the supermarket.

It shows Bublé walking through a warehouse giving his thoughts and opinions on the food, like selecting what cheese to go on a cheese board and instructing there be more “boomf" in the rise of a panettone. He even ventures into the clothing section where he flexes his fashion expertise. It was directed by Taika Waititi through Hungry Man and created by Nathalie Gordon, Dan Cole and Vicki Maguire.

Aldi ‘Kevin and the Christmas factory’ by McCann UK

Aldi parodies Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in this 90-second film. A crowd of fruits and vegetables eagerly waits outside the gates of Willy Conker’s Christmas factory after winning a competition to see the inside of the magical building. Christmas items stand in for chocolate as Willy Conker shows them the gravy river and a mince pie machine. It features Aldi’s Kevin the Carrot as Charlie, as well as the “Greedy, Gluttonous Grape” and “Naughty Green Kiwi”.

Deliveroo ‘The rules are, there are no rules’ by Pablo

Deliveroo pays homage to the weird food rituals people have at Christmas. The 30-second ad shows a woman ordering mince pies for breakfast, as the voiceover says: “It’s that time of year again where everyone knows that anything goes.” Viewers then see Brussels sprouts on pizza, gravy on absolutely anything, a Cantonese feast on Christmas Eve, wraps under the tree and people leaving tacos out for Santa. It was directed by Watts through Stink Films and created by Charlie Gee and Tian Murphy.

Disney ‘A wish for the holidays’ by Yellow Shoes

Disney takes inspiration from its upcoming film Wish in this year’s Christmas ad. The 90-second film revolves around the classic song A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes from Disney’s Cinderella. The song is performed in six languages from locations around the world. It opens with two kids singing and dancing in their living room, kicking off the English verse with the help of singer Ariana DeBose. It then cuts between different people, voices and languages performing the song. The film was directed by Meji Alabi.

Lidl ‘A magical Christmas’ by BBDO Germany

Lidl’s Christmas film introduces viewers to a raccoon. It opens with the raccoon holding a Santa hat in its mouth as it gazes at a family putting up their Christmas tree through their window. The raccoon wanders back to its tree and watches from afar, feeling left out of the Christmas activities. The family dog then knocks a monkey bauble off the tree, smashing it to pieces, which saddens the little boy. His mum goes to Lidl to replace the bauble with a toy monkey, but drops it on her way home. The raccoon finds the toy in the road and embarks on an adventure to deliver it to the little boy for Christmas.

Sainsbury’s ‘Big fella's Christmas dinner’ by New Commercial Arts

A little girl takes to a Tannoy in a Sainsbury's store to ask what Santa has for his Christmas dinner. The film shows a range of Sainsbury's employees and suppliers answering her question. Popstar Rick Astley makes a cameo appearance in the cheese aisle. The campaign was created by Alicia Job and Jess Pacey; and directed by Freddie Waters through Pulse Films.

Morrisons ‘More of the winning feeling’ by Leo Burnett

A gang of singing oven gloves star in Morrisons’ 60-second Christmas spot. Set to Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now by Starship, it opens with a shot of someone turning the oven on in preparation for the big day, as an oven glove comes to life and starts singing the power ballad.

The ad shows different oven gloves in their homes, serenading the food and the person cooking it. It was created by Gareth Butters and directed by Tim McNaughton from The Bobbsey Twins.

Boots ‘Give joy’ by The Pharm

A mother and daughter set off on an adventure to find Santa and give him a present in Boots’ Christmas film. Set to I’m Gonna Get There Somehow by Val Doonican, the film opens with the girl asking her mother who gives Santa his presents. The pair are then shown in their car heading to “the North” with a large bag of presents from Boots.

They give a selection of presents to whoever they meet along the way on their various modes of transportation, including the railway worker who receives a Benefit mascara, and their pilot, who is shown grinning with a Dyson Airwrap.

When they finally reach Santa, the only present left in their Boots bag is a pair of flight socks, which are thrown down his chimney.

It was directed by Sam Brown through Rogue, written by Jonathan Thake and created by Steve Wioland and Matt Woolner.

Coca-Cola ‘The world needs more Santas’ by WPP Open X

Coca-Cola creates a city full of Santas for this year’s Christmas spot, which celebrates kindness and goodwill. It shows the Santas going about their everyday lives while also demonstrating random acts of kindness.

The Santas hail taxis for each other, help spot each other at the gym, and one even offers another Santa the last bottle of Coca-Cola from a vending machine. It is then revealed that the Santas are actually just normal people embracing their inner Santa and showing kindness to one another.

It was directed by Traktor through Stink Films.

Vodafone ‘Feel the connection’ by Ogilvy UK

A little girl, Lily, is on a mission to find Santa this Christmas in Vodafone’s festive film. The 40-second ad opens with Lily, saying in a voiceover: “Dear Santa, I really want to see you” as she sets up a wireless camera in her living room. “And this year I’ve got a plan,” she adds, as the camera is linked to her dad’s phone.

When Lily wakes up to find the glass of milk and carrot she left out for Santa has gone, she rushes up to her parents, who are still in bed. Lily watches what the phone had captured the night before, revealing a red-suited figure waving to the camera. Lily says: “We’ve got him,” while her parents watch on, confused.

The film was directed by Vince Squibb through Academy and created by Holly Henderson and Georgia Horrocks.

Sainsbury’s ‘Christmas teaser’ by New Commercial Arts

This 20-second teaser for the Sainsbury’s Christmas ad features a young girl in a Sainsbury's store who asks over a Tannoy: "Hey Sainsbury's, I have a question. It's about Santa." It then cuts to a cosy house in the snow as a voiceover says: “Ho ho ho.” Copy also reads: "To be continued..."

Although there is no sign of Rick Astley in the teaser, he shared it on social media with the caption: “A little girl with one big question about Santa ... uh-oh. #HeySainsburys #IncomingChristmasAd #ad."

The ad was created by Alicia Job and Jess Pacey, and directed by Freddie Waters through Pulse Films.

Boots ‘Christmas teaser’ by The Pharm

 

#GiveJoy coming 03.11.23 ����#bootsuk #christmasadvert pic.twitter.com/KdY5WZgW0T

— Boots (@BootsUK) November 1, 2023

 

Boots teases its 2023 Christmas ad with a snappy 15-second glance on TikTok. The ad shows a mother and daughter exit a Boots store and the little girl asks: “Mum, who gives presents to Santa?” The woman looks uncertain how to answer that question, cutting to a shot of them in the car hurtling towards “the North”.

A different snippet of the ad can be seen on Instagram, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), which features a dark and snowy scene with a small house. It then cuts to the mum as she drops a present down the chimney. When it lands, viewers can see the feet of a certain someone in a red suit and boots.

Debenhams ‘Wonderland is waiting’ by 20(Something)

Debenhams explores six different festive settings in this 25-second ad. It features presenter Lisa Snowdon, fashion designer Zandra Rhodes, YouTubers Sophia and Cinzia, presenter Alison Hammond, TV personality Sophie Habboo and TikTok stars Brookie and Jessie. Each celebrity partner is shown using a Debenhams product in one of the Wonderlands, from Clarins Lip Comfort Oil to YSL Libre Eau de Parfum. It was directed by Nicolee Tsin through Kode Media.

Baileys ‘Tis the Season for Baileys with a festive choctail’ by Forsman & Bodenfors

Hannah Waddingham fronts this 20-second film. Waddingham is shown conducting the Gold Vocal Collective as she tells them to take a break for a Baileys, the choir then burst into a cappella while a Baileys "Choc-tail" is made. It was directed by Ezra Hurwitz.

Waitrose ‘It’s time for the good stuff’ by Saatchi & Saatchi London

Saatchi & Saatchi’s debut Waitrose & Partners Christmas campaign features a kids-free festive party in the style of a heightened sitcom. Set to the Depeche Mode track I Just Can’t Get Enough, the 90-second film opens with the party hosts anticipating their first arrivals and some guests arriving earlier than expected.

As more guests arrive the party picks up, with party-goers getting locked in the bathroom with chocolates, an appearance from the police who get distracted by a florentine-inspired panettone and even a cameo from Irish comedian, presenter and actor Graham Norton. It was directed by Autumn de Wilde through Anonymous and created by Ashley Milhollin, Sam Pascoe, Olivia Weston, Heath Sims, Emily Downing and Christina Leaver.

Marks & Spencer ‘This is M&S Christmas food’ in-house

Dawn French returns as the Marks & Spencer's Christmas fairy in this year’s playful spot, and this time she’s joined by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. The duo voice a pair of lost mittens dropped by a child on a festive holiday to the UK. The fairy uses her magic to bring them inside, where the mittens tell the fairy they have been dropped by their owner Lily.

In an attempt to cheer up the lost mittens, the fairy introduces them to all things M&S Christmas with a special festive feast. The campaign was led by Rich Robinson, M&S Food marketing head of creative, and Robbie Black, M&S head of marketing, and directed by Dom&Nic through Outsider.

TK Maxx ‘Festive farm’ by Wieden & Kennedy London

Some farm animals are treated to some designer gifts in this TK Maxx ad. Set to the tune of Let Me Blow Your Mind by Eve and Gwen Stefani, the 45-second film opens with a rather well-dressed alpaca, sporting a turtle neck, strutting out of the barn. The alpaca is followed by a pair of ducks wearing Harry Styles-inspired pearls and a silk scarf as well as a hedgehog under a pink cashmere woolly hat.

The animals are later joined by the goat that starred in the brand’s similar 2020 spot, dressed up in a pink ensemble with a red beret. It turns out the farmers have given the animals these impressive looks as a Christmas treat. It was directed by Ulf Johansson through Smith & Jones films.

Lego ‘Holiday - play is your superpower’ by Our Lego Agency and Droga5 Dublin

An epic snowball fight is at the centre of Lego’s holiday spot, combining fantasy with reality. The 30-second ad shows a group of children playing in the snow, launching snowballs at one another with the help of various Lego characters – even Frozen’s animated snowman Olaf makes an appearance. An elderly woman also defends herself from a snowball attack with the help of a Lego version of Yoda from the Star Wars franchise. It was directed by Ellen Kuras through The Corner Shop.

Sports Direct ‘Dream big’ by Mox London

Sports Direct’s 60-second ad spotlights how the brand aims to support women’s participation in sport. It follows an 11-year-old girl as she daydreams about the different sports she can get involved in. Set to a tweaked version of the 1985 Tears For Fears hit Everybody Wants To Rule The World, the film features sports like boxing, sprinting and football. The ad also contains appearances from boxer Conor Benn, sprinter Zharnel Hughes, England women’s striker Alessia Russo and Arsenal star Gabriel Jesus. It was directed by Loose through Stink Film Studios.

Asda ‘Christmas teaser’ by Havas London

Asda unveils the star of its 2023 Christmas spot in this 60-second teaser. It opens with Asda staff taking a break during their shifts, but a strange gurgling sound interrupts them when the clock hits midnight. Curious to know where the sound is coming from, they investigate by following it through the warehouse, packed full of Christmas treats.

They reach a door marked “MB inside. Do not open ‘til 1.11.23” but they open it regardless, revealing a figure hidden in the darkness. When a spotlight falls on them, it appears to be singer Michael Bublé, who then breaks into It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas. It was directed by Taika Waititi through Hungry Man.

Barbour 'Shaun the Sheep x Baa-bour' by Aardman

Barbour collaborates with Aardman’s animated series Shaun the Sheep in this 90-second film. Set on Mossy Bottom Farm, the ad shows Shaun, Bitzer and the Flock having a brainwave to repair the Farmer’s well-worn Barbour wax jacket.

Despite their best efforts to repair the jacket, with questionable patchwork and a hazardous make-shift zip, the jacket is left looking worse than before. The Farmer tries on the jacket and the zip bursts open, but thankfully Christmas is saved when Bitzer clicks his fingers and the Farmer’s original jacket reappears.

The film emphasises how Barbour offers to re-wax and repair jackets, ending with the line: “To extend the life of your garment it might be best to go to Barbour.” The ad was produced through Aardman.

Marks & Spencer Clothing and Home ‘Love thismas (not thatmas)’ by Mother London

M&S encourages people to embrace what they love this festive season, and skip the things they don’t, in this star-studded film. Set to Ray BLK’s version of I Would Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That), the ad features actress Hannah Waddingham, singer and podcast host Sophie Ellis-Bextor, presenter and style expert Tan France and actress Zawe Ashton.

The spot depicts the celebrities taking part in festive activities such as playing charades and making a gingerbread house. Eventually the stars grow tired of taking part in these traditions and begin to destroy board games, Christmas cards and even an unsuspecting elf. It was directed by Ally Pankiw through Partizan London.

Very 'Let’s make it sparkle' by The Gate

The Gate introduces a new brand platform for Very in this year’s Christmas spot, which aims to convey how the digital retailer can inject some magic into everyday moments.

The 60-second animation imagines a city of pigeons and flamingos, who are doing their Christmas shopping. A flamboyance of flamingos then soars through the sky, carrying Very parcels and leaving a trail of glitter. Viewers are then introduced to Kerry, Terry and Cherry as the delivery flamingos arrive at their homes. When they open their parcels, their homes erupt into clouds of magical pink glitter.

It was directed by Paloma Baeza through Nexus Studios, and created by Rob Bovington, Hannah Bituin and Becky Reynolds.

Argos 'Dancer' by The & Partnership

Argos brings back Connie the doll and Trevor the toy dinosaur in its 2023 Christmas ad, voiced by Ruth Bratt and Charlie Cooper. The spot shows Trevor attempting to film Connie performing a dance. Equipped with a smartphone, Trevor shouts: “Lights, camera, coffee machine” as a coffee machine puffs out steam and Connie emerges in a pink sequin jumpsuit.

To the tune of Le Freak by Chic, Connie struts past a speaker and makes use of a hairdryer as her wind machine. Connie then does a front flip before landing in the splits ahead of a cocktail shaker. She asks Trevor if he caught that on camera, and it’s revealed the dinosaur was just filming himself the whole time.

It was directed by Traktor through Stink Films and created by Chris Clarke, Matthew Moreland and Carl Storey.

Duracell ‘Bunny saves Christmas’ by Wunderman Thompson UK

The Duracell Bunny saves Santa in this 30-second animated spot. It opens with Santa’s sleigh flying above a forest but when the red-nosed reindeer loses power, the sleigh comes crashing down to the ground. The Duracell Bunny then comes to the rescue, opening up the reindeer’s nose to reveal ordinary batteries.

With a disapproving look, the Bunny swaps in Duracell Optimum batteries, causing the reindeer’s nose to immediately light up. The Bunny adds a sack of Duracell batteries to Santa’s sleigh, telling him that “the toys are going to need them too”, before continuing his journey.

It was directed by Geoffroy Barbet-Massin through The Mill, and created by Jason Berry, Antony Bell, Alex Horlock and Brett James.

Dobbies 'Find your Christmust' by Elvis

Garden centre Dobbies celebrates that moment when people find their perfect Christmas purchases in this 20-second film. It follows different customers as their heads are turned by particular festive items such as a bauble, a Christmas tree and a Father Christmas mug. It ends with the line: “Find your Christmust at Dobbies garden centres.” It was directed by Daniel Liakh through Spindle, and created by Sam Hinckley and Chris Lawlor.

Shelter 'Good as gold' by Don’t Panic

Shelter spotlights how there will be 131,000 children in temporary accommodation this Christmas, which has increased by 10,000 since last year, in its Christmas campaign.

The film follows Maddie, a child who is trying to be “as good as gold” in the lead-up to Christmas so her wish comes true. It shows her offering her seat to people on the bus, carrying groceries and being well-behaved at school. It cuts to Maddie excitedly getting into bed on Christmas Eve, and when she wakes up it is revealed that she is living in temporary accommodation. Maddie is confused as to why she hasn’t woken up with a home, saying: “But I was so good.” It was produced through Smuggler.

Etsy 'Your mission' by Orchard

Etsy pays homage to Mission: Impossible in these four festive spots as the brand explores the challenges of shopping for loved ones and buying the perfect gift. The films show people spying on people’s hobbies as they seek inspiration for their potential gifts.

One follows a man looking for a gift for his twin daughters, singing the words: “Twins, twins, twins, twins..." in the style of the Mission: Impossible theme tune. Another follows a woman buying a gift for her boyfriend Tim, another follows a man buying for his niece and the final film shows a woman buying for her dad.

The films were created by Perry Morton and Grady Linnihan, and directed by Steve Rogers through Biscuit Filmworks.

McDonald’s UK 'Festive wins' by Red Consultancy

McDonald’s gives its customers the chance to win some festive prizes in the run-up to Christmas with some faux out-of-home executions. The CGI campaign features a fleet of festive baubles driving through London’s Oxford Circus, a McDonald’s burger box outside the Bullring in Birmingham and Christmas crackers along the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.

The “Festive wins” offers are available on the McDonald’s app and will be running for the month of November. It was created by Red Consultancy and produced in partnership by Pebble Studios.

Peroni Nastro Azzurro 'Live every moment, all year round' by Unbound and Trouble Maker

Peroni Nastro Azzurro’s first global winter campaign proves that the Italian beer isn’t just for summer in this 30-second spot. Viewers are introduced to Nino, who lives on a small street in Torino and faces an obstacle when he tries to leave his house.

He opens his front door only to be greeted by a wall of snow blocking his path. Naturally, Nino takes his shovel and begins digging a path, as the film goes on it is revealed the path is leading to a nearby bar. When he finally arrives, the rest of the town makes use of the path to also grab a beverage for themselves.

It was directed by Tom Green through Stink Films, art directed by Paul Hogarth, and written by Hogarth, Arman Naji, David Fleetwood and Elspeth Lynn.

Homesense 'There’s no place like Homesense (except TK Maxx)' by Wieden & Kennedy London

Part of the brand’s “There’s no place like Homesense (except TK Maxx)” platform, Homesense’s 15-second Christmas spot tells viewers that they’ll go “chestnuts” for Homesense. It features a woman sitting on a sofa helping herself to a pile of chestnuts, while surrounded by nutcrackers. The voiceover says: “If you’re into TK Maxx Christmas decorations, you’ll go chestnuts for Homesense.” It was directed by Max Siedentopf through Riff Raff and created by Simon Allen and Patrick Silla.

Reese’s 'Put peanut butter in it' by Mother London

Reese's gives viewers a craving for peanut butter in this 30-second spot promoting its Advent calendars. The ad is part of the snack brand’s "Put peanut butter in it" platform, which takes random objects made out of chocolate and fills them with peanut butter.

The Christmas special features a chocolate stocking as the voiceover narrates: "Ho ho ho, a Christmas stocking. I know what you’re thinking. You want to put peanut butter in it, don’t you?" Peanut butter is then poured into the chocolate stocking as the voiceover continues: "That’s what you get for being good all year."

It was directed by Tom Bunker through ManvsMachine.

(This article first appeared on CampaignLive.co.uk)