It’s official – Christmas is coming – and with it, all those Christmas ads we wait for all year round. The most wonderful time of the year takes a lot of preparation from brands as they try to outdo each other for the best Christmas advert – in fact global advertising is anticipated to grow 8.3%, or £751.5 billion, in the run up to Christmas. But what are the best Christmas ads of 2022 so far? Let’s take a look at a few of the top picks.
5. Aldi
Kevin the Carrot and his carrot family makes a reappearance in the Aldi Christmas advert this year for a nostalgic and humorous take on the Home Alone films.
4. ASDA
Another ad inspired by iconic Christmas films, ASDA repurposes footage of Buddy from the film Elf, as he “helps” shoppers and eats all the free samples.
3. John Lewis
The John Lewis adverts typically dominate the battle of the Christmas ads – but this year’s entry has had mixed reviews. That said, it is most definitely a tearjerker, showing a foster father attempting to master skateboarding in order to bond with his new foster child.
2. Argos
A husband and wife are setting up for a small family gathering. “How many are coming?” he asks – “just a few,” she says. Cut to family and friends descending on a couple’s home en masse – we have all been there, even if not at these proportions!
This ad is charming and down to earth; after being apart for the past couple of years, it is surprisingly moving and relatable. The husband then brings up his Argos app with the declaration “We’re gonna need a bigger bowl”. Argos to the rescue!
- Morrisons
After the success of Farmer Christmas last year, Morrisons have brought him back for 2022, whilst also celebrating their own employees – the true heroes of Christmas.
The clever thing about this advert is that it has been released early this year. In fact, this is merely the first of a series of 10 adverts running through the festive period. This means that Morrisons have been able to tie in the current World Cup, too, which will likely be missing from the ads shown closer to Christmas.
In doing so, Morrisons are able to take advantage of the changing audiences watching TV this year – from football fans to Christmas fanatics. Brands can target specific audiences and demographics like this on streaming services by using solutions like OTT services by Finecast. Due to this, Morrisons were able to catapult Farmer Christmas onto our screens before other Christmas ads even aired, and tailor their ads to more targeted audiences.
Bonus: The weirdest Christmas ad of the year
The award for weirdest Christmas ad of 2022 has to go to McDonalds. This ad follows a young boy making his Christmas list, which gets longer and longer. Just as he is asking his parents how to post it to Santa, the list blows away. Thankfully, as the family turns a corner, there are the golden arches to cheer him up.
The message might be that time spent together is the best present of all. Unfortunately, what we get is ‘who cares about presents when you have McDonalds’ – an ultimately more corporate or capitalist message than the heart-warming tearjerker intended.
