It's that time of year when the retailers release their Christmas adverts. We always look forward to seeing what our favourite retailers will come up with, especially the ones we work with throughout the year to install their promotional displays. We've chosen five retailer and five supermarket adverts that are memorable for various reasons.
M&S has outdone itself this year with a story book fantasy adventure for Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, entering a magical world as Alice in Wonderland and exiting as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. The 'Magic & Sparkle' advert, featuring Helen Bonham-Carter as the Wicked Witch of the West, looks like a tantalising trailer for an epic adventure!
The Debenhams 'Wishes made Fabulous' advert takes us on a vaguely nostalgic journey through London, capturing Christmas in the capital whilst reminding us of the wide range of brands available in the department store.
The John Lewis 'Bare and the Hare' advert is like a Disney animation, seeing two best friends journey through the woods to Christmas celebrations. The theme is all about the gift of giving, with a rather touching moment where the hare leaves a thoughtful present for his bear friend in hibernation so he can join him for the party on Christmas day. There are already several spoofs of this on you tube.
Harrods 'Everything You Want, Anywhere You Want' advert is like an old black and white film. Set on a railway platform with a glamorous young woman disembarking from a steam train after arriving back from her London shopping trip. She's counting out her parcels from Harrods with the help of a dashing young gentleman who gallantly finds a lost little present.
Boots sees a misunderstood 'hoodie' teenager dashing through the snow looking rather shady like he could be up to no good, but as it turns out he's actually leaving gifts anonymously for all his nearest and dearest. It remains unclear how he obtained these gifts at this stage, we'd like to think it was paper round funded, although seemingly that didn't stretch to affording wrapping paper.
The supermarkets have a mix of reinforcing their heritage, family values and financial value, all competing as usual for the big Christmas shop.
Asda is focusing on their price guarantee offer this year with snowmen in colourful scarves depicting the four major supermarkets. It's a wonderfully simple ad' and really gets across their '10% better off' assurance with the bigger and better smiling ASDA snowman, suitably attired in a green hat and scarf.
Tesco chose to show the meaning of family at Christmas as if through video camera footage, starting with a young family (with granny in tow) in the seventies and progressing through the eighties and nineties to 2013 (minus the gran but with baby bump). It's quite emotive at the beginning as it does remind those of a certain generation how Christmas was when we were kids.
Sainsbury's have several adverts from the one below detailing various family escapades in putting up the tree, to Jamie Oliver food recipes. Their theme is all around the 'Moments that make Christmas' captured very well in the 'Homecoming' advert, where mum and two kids are singing a Christmas carol for the camera when soldier dad walks in and surprises them all.
Morrisons 'Go on - it's Christmas' advert has Ant and Dec tucking into a decadent Christmas dinner whilst gazing in the general direction of a little singing ginger bread man in uniform. He is then joined by an army of miniature bakers prancing up and down the table, reminding us all of the indulgences to come over the Christmas period.
The Co-operative 'Everything Your Need For Christmas' advert has chosen to focus on the heritage of the brand with their 'Here for you for life' motto and shows a woman blissfully walking from a store through an energetic snowy street scene and serenely into her party full of Christmas goodies.
The M&S advert nailed it though and remains our personal favourite for the retailers. For supermarkets we enjoyed the ASDA snowmen for its simple yet effective message. We have enjoyed working with all of our retailers this year, ensuring Christmas and other seasonal events are also a magical experience in store as well as on the Television.
