CHRISTMAS adverts put out by the biggest retailers have become a staple in recent years, and 2019 is no exception.
Get in a festive mood with our rundown of all the ads that have been released so far.
1
John Lewis
John Lewis’s advert this year introduces us to Excitable Edgar.
Edgar is a dragon living in a small town who can’t play with the other children at Christmas because his firey breath keeps melting all the snow.
The grown ups also begin to turn on him when he accidentally sets fire to the town’s Christmas display.
But with a bit of ingenuity, one local girl proves that Edgar’s fire can prove useful after all.
Aldi
Aldi has used Kevin the Carrot for the fourth year in a row in its Christmas advert.
New character Russell Sprout, and his Brummy gang of “Leafy Blinders”, are boiling with rage about Kevin and his family of carrots stealing the show as the star Christmas vegetable.
The sprouts are dressed in tweed caps, much like characters from Peaky Blinders.
Tiny Tom – a little tomato – comes to Kevin’s rescue after the sprouts tie him up.
Argos
Argos‘ Christmas advert was the first of 2019 to be released.
The retailer has given the famous catalogue – which has been around for 46 years – a starring role, renaming it “The Book of Dreams”.
The ad features a dad picking out a drumkit from the catalogue which magically appears, transforming the kitchen into his own private gig.
Amazon
Amazon‘s Christmas ad features a whole host of people singing and dancing to Solomon Burke’s classic track, “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love”.
At the same time, people are giving or delivering gifts to loved ones that are, of course, inside Amazon boxes.
There are three versions of the ad that will be airing until December 22.
Boots
Boots shows customers how to get presents for the most difficult loved ones in your life.
The ad introduces Boots’ new range of in-store gift edits – called “Bootiques” – there to take the hassle out of Christmas shopping.
There will also be an online option to create your own Bootique so you can hint to loved ones what you want this Christmas.
Asda
Asda‘s festive campaign is all about making Christmas extra special – but there’s a heartwarming story behind its advert.
The ad follows a young girl – Tilly – inspired by stories from her Grandad about Santa’s leftover magic.
The advert is centred around people who go the extra mile during the festive season, making it a special time for all.
Walkers
Mariah Carey bagged a whopping £9million for the Walkers campaign.
The advert ties in with the 25th anniversary of her 1994 Merry Christmas album featuring All I Want For Christmas Is You.
The Christmas ad, which took a cast and crew of 150 people to create at Los Angeles’ Universal Studios, debuted on Saturday, November 2.
Lidl
Lidl‘s Christmas advert tagline this year is “A Christmas you can believe in”.
Based on the idea of enjoying a festive season at an affordable price, the new ad sees festive shoppers looking for bargains in the supermarket.
The video also shows some stereotypical Christmas moments, from the reveal of the dinner table to diners having to sit on garden furniture when they run out of chairs.
Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s heartwarming Christmas advert tells a story of how Santa started out as a chimney sweep who was accused of stealing a clementine.
The retailer is marking 150 years in the business and so has set it’s festive ad outside the first Sainsbury’s store in Drury Lane in 1869.
Sainsbury’s says that the tale is a “totally true story” but in reality “Nicholas” has been created in the spirit of Christmas and there’s no real evidence of the retailer’s founders ever having saved a child in this way.
The tale has real Oliver Twist vibes – Nick, played by Chris Dunkley, is an orphan and forced to work alongside other parent-less children for an evil workmaster.
The ad is directed by award winning Ninian Doff, who has also directed a handful of commercials for brands such as Hula Hoops, 02 and GiffGaff.
Ikea
Ikea‘s Christmas ad this year shows a family sprucing up their home with Ikea furniture and homeware after being shamed by their ornaments, which come to life to taunt them about the state of their home.
Ikea said they deliberately wanted to go against the tide of sentimental Christmas ads.
As part of the campaign, Ikea is holding in-store events across the UK to help customers make their homes festive, including “treetorials”.
Debenhams
The advert focuses on thoughtful gifting for all the family with X Factor and I’m A Celebrity star Fleur East lending a helping hand by waving her magic wand and new single Size.
The Christmas ad is part of Debenhams’ multi-million-pound marketing campaign and sees East acting as a festive fairy godmother, taking the stress out of shopping for those ‘hard to buy for’ family members, with a wave of her magic wand.
Debenhams’ approach to this year’s ad focuses on trying to take the stress out of the time-consuming process of buying personalised or thoughtful gifts.
Iceland
Iceland’s Christmas advert has landed and it features some of our favourite characters from Frozen 2.
The advert begins with a child playing charades with his family at Christmas, with an Olaf toy in screen.
Then we suddenly get pulled into the land of Frozen and hear what some of Olaf’s top festive things are.
M&S Food
M&S‘s Christmas 2019 advert features Emma Willis and Paddy McGuinness at a snow-covered “M&S Food Christmas Market” where they sample festive treats at different stalls.
On the menu is turkey wrapped in bacon and brie en croute, which sees the gooey cheese wrapped in puff pastry and served hot for tearing and sharing.
For those with a sweet tooth, the advert sees the pair tuck into a pavlova topped in winter berries, and mince pies flavoured with cognac and cider and slathered with salted caramel cream.
M&S Clothing
M&S Clothing opted for a cheerful video this year, with dancers dressed in bright winter knitwear performing a move dubbed the “shoulder roll” to the House of Pain’s Jump Around.
A total of 50 different jumpers, costing between £20 and £150, are shown in the 60-second clip.
The advert shines a spotlight on the retailer’s knitwear collection, which it is hoped will help boost sales this festive season.
Very
Very.co.uk showcased an emotional advert which celebrates the joy of community as stars from previous years returned to our screens.
It follows the residents of Chester Street as they give up their time to make sure their elderly neighbour Sidney isn’t alone at Christmas.
It is accompanied by a cover of Rudimental’s 2012 hit Feel The Love recorded by The Social Singing Choir.
McDonald’s
This year’s Christmas advert follows adorable little girl Ellie as she befriends a lovable reindeer called Archie.
The animated ad opens with Ellie asking her older sister Jenny if she wants to play with her, but Jenny slams the door in her face, telling her to “grow up.”
Ellie, undeterred goes on to laugh and play with her little reindeer friend, scribbling a Christmas card in crayon of the pair hanging out with her sister.
Ellie and Archie even sneak some “reindeer treats” from the fridge to munch together, but eat so many they quickly run out.
So, Ellie and her dad head out to collect some more – but as they do big sister Jenny has a change of heart upon seeing the crayon picture, and decides to go with them and spend time with her family.
As the family arrives at the McDonald’s Drive Thru the scene switches from animation to real life, and we discover that Archie is actually Ellie’s dog dressed up in a tutu and reindeer antlers.
The advert ends with the slogan: “Are you #ReindeerReady?”
