'Tis the season for blockbuster holiday commercials and we’re keeping track of all them right here. See below for all the Christmas marketing extravaganzas, and check back often, as we’ll be adding more global and executions as they go live.
NRMA
In time for the festive period NRMA Insurance is going for the feels with its Christmas safety TV ad – a marked difference from its more functional ads. Backed with a moving soundtrack with vocals by singer-songwriter Tom Odell, many were eagerly anticipating the brand's next creative effort after it handed creative duties to The Monkeys in September.
XXXX Gold
XXX Gold has is reinventing the classic Christmas ad and making it all about cricket to promote its position as the official beer of the Australian cricket team. The ad, created by Host/Havas, follows on from the launch of the tech enabled Goldie at the start of The Ashes.
Australia Post
Australia Post is promoting the ease of its service for the busy Christmas period with a new campaign. The two spots, from Y&R Melbourne, highlight its free shipping membership service launched last month. Another spot stars Australia Post staff in videos delivering informational messages – sung in a choir to the tune of popular Christmas Carols.
Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand has poked fun at the Kiwi accent with a heart-warming new video out today of Santa taking calls from Kiwi kids keen to tell him what they want under the tree this Christmas. The spot, by Host/Havas, shows Santa trying to decipher a number of unusual requests from New Zealand children which have been lost in translation including everything from biscuitballs and puggy banks to bug screen TVs and a book of magic trucks. In the clip, Santa’s helpers – Air New Zealand’s Cabin Crew – come to the big man’s aid providing some much-needed translation skills.
Lego (Australia)
CHE Proximity has revealed its first Christmas ad for Lego after winning the project earlier this year. The charming spot sees Santa flung far away from his home but rescued by an unexpected friend and a little creativity. The message of the ad is “Build Together” and marks a diversity play for the iconic brand, featuring an Asian Lego character.
H&M (US)
In H&M’s Christmas extravaganza, rapper Nicki Minaj and actor-activist Jesse Williams transform into magical fairies while in a snow-covered house during the heart of Winter. The ad tells the tale of a parallel universe, where the couple's heroic young daughter embarks on a mission to track down the evil brother of Santa Claus, who stole Christmas presents from children across the globe. The three-minute film, created by Swedish agency Forsman & Bodenfors, centres on the themes of bravery and caring.
Officeworks (Australia)
Officeworks has launched its 2017 Christmas campaign via AJF Partnership, which encourages Australians to think more about what they choose to gift loved ones this festive season, by highlighting that 'there's more in every gift', with a gift from Officeworks. The TVC features a modern Australian family unwrapping gifts in a bid to inspire people to think differently about gift giving.
Arnott's (Australia)
Arnott’s has launched its first Christmas campaign, reflecting on the tradition of leaving a biscuit out for Santa. The campaign, by TKT Sydney, highlights an insight into how tough Christmas Eve is for Santa, with his only relief coming from his favourite biscuit. As part of the campaign, Arnott’s has re-branded their much-loved Scotch Finger as ‘Santa’s Biscuits’, encouraging Australian children to take part in the ritual for themselves by sharing the biscuit with Santa.
McDonald's (UK)
In McDonald’s 2017 Christmas ad, by Leo Burnett, a little girl becomes bizarrely attached to a carrot stick. “Are you gonna eat that?” her father asks as they wrap up their McD’s Christmas Eve meal. She shakes her head, totally focused on the fat orange stick in her fist. “It’s for the reindeer,” she says, and will repeat, throughout the spot.
Aldi (Australia)
Aldi’s Christmas campaign takes a bold direction for the supermarket category, releasing an ad that could easily be mistaken for a cricket promotion. In the 90-second extended version of the ad, by BMF, Aldi tells the story of one man’s obsession with winning backyard cricket, spanning across 40 years. It introduces the tagline ‘The More the Merrier’ and shows the crowd building in a bid to celebrate drop-ins and tag-alongs at Christmas.
Woolworths (Australia)
Woolworths is encouraging Australians to ‘Share the Spirit of Christmas’ and features a number of multicultural families enjoying the holiday season. The ad, by M&C Saatchi's Greenhouse, shows neighbours heading off to a street party, a young boy having to share his room with his aunty and an older woman sharing her secret recipe with her granddaughter.
Coles (Australia)
Australians are sharing what they love in Coles' Coles' 2017 Christmas campaign. The main 30-second brand ad shows mums, dads, grandmas, grandpas and adorable kids sharing their favourite thing about Christmas. Celebrity chef Curtis Stone makes a brief cameo at the end of the ad, marking his return to the brand's Christmas push. In a second 30-second spot, a cast of cute kids share what they love, including doughnut stuffed turkey.
Myer (Australia)
Myer’s Christmas ad this year once again features its band of quirky characters Elf, Reindeer, Mouse and Angel. It’s a scenario everyone can recognise at Christmas - that each family has it’s own brand of nuts, but there’s nowhere you’d rather be. Elf, getting frustrated with his chums, goes in search of another set of decorations to spend the holidays with before ultimately returning to Reindeer, Mouse and Angel. The ad is from Clemenger Melbourne and is airing exclusively across the MCN network.
Target (Australia)
Target is focusing on the special moments for its 2017 Christmas ad. The ad, by AJF Partnership, features a multicultural cast writing Christmas cards, decorating their houses, wrapping presents, picking out Christmas costumes (including a prawn costume) and cooking a Christmas feast. The brand is one of the first major retailers to release their Christmas ad.
Bonds (Australia)
Bonds is telling Australians to "let their light shine" this Christmas with its festive ad. Exploding with colour and sound, the projection lights aim to bring its red-hot new Christmas range to life. The ad shows a number of dancers decked in Bonds-branded underwear as well as two young girls in tutus. It's not the first time Bonds has recruited dancers for its ad campaign, with its 2015 push taking a similar approach. Leo Burnett is Bond's creative agency of record.
David Jones (Australia)
David Jones has taken a leaf out of UK counterpart John Lewis’ festive playbook with a beautifully crafted, nostalgic and emotional take on Christmas. The tail of a Gingerbread Man making his way home to Australia for Christmas is the focus of the David Jones Christmas ad this year. The ads were created by TBWA Sydney in partnership with design house Maud and in consultation with heavyweight UK marketer Steve Sharp.
John Lewis (UK)
The John Lewis spot from adam&eveDDB is almost the most highly anticipated of the year—not surprisingly, since it was this client/agency team that started the whole trend of blockbuster Christmas ads in 2011 with “The Long Wait.” First came the teaser - now we have the ad.
M&S (UK)
Marks & Spencer has followed the John Lewis festive playbook with a Paddington Bear-fronted Christmas campaign that embraces instore events, cuddly toys and a charity tie-in. In the ad, the famous bear saves Christmas as he unwittingly stops a hapless burglar and delivers all the stolen presents back to the good girls and boys.
Aldi (UK)
Aldi UK have once again pinned their Christmas ad hopes on unlikely protagonist Kevin the Carrot. Kevin has changed up his quest this year and is now seeking to find love, embarking on a mission aboard a midnight express train, spotting a beautiful lady carrot at the end on a table packed with plates full of Christmas dinner.
Amazon (Global)
Amazon's global Christmas campaign by Lucky Generals features the retailer's iconic boxes with their famous smiling logos as they travel around the world to meet their recipients. The packages have been animated to sing a re-recording of the classic track Give a Little Bit.
Sainsbury's (UK)
Kermit the frog and Jim Royle from popular BBC TV show The Royle Family feature in UK supermarket Sainsbury’s new Christmas advertising campaign by Wieden+Kennedy London. Also out this weekend was Tesco's 'Everyone’s Welcome' efforts by BBH London.
Tesco (UK)
Tesco has faced backlash following the launch of its recent Christmas ad, which features families from all walks of life, shows clips of a Muslim family celebrating the holiday, exchanging presents and cooking Christmas dinner. The new ad is part of a series of five short videos set to be released in the run up to Christmas to promote diversity. Tesco ends the ad with the phrase “Everyone welcome”.
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