Christmas is a great time to drive home the connection between consumers and the brand. Get your consumer into an emotional state, and hopefully, those emotions pay back to your brand. But not everyone can pull it off. You likely need to have an established love for your brand already, or it would come across as lacking authenticity. If you are looking to get into the holiday spirit, here are the best Christmas ads I have seen, from all over the world. We include ads from the UK, Ireland, Australia, Poland, Spain, France, Canada and the US. Feel free to add your own to our mix.
You will see a few common themes, such kids surprising us by showing they understand Christmas is more than gifts, or trying to do things for our parents or grandparents. I have added a few that stand out because they run completely counter to these themes.
John Lewis from the UK
Some of the best Christmas ads I’ve ever seen are from John Lewis, the department store in the UK. They use beautiful music, a movie-like storyline that demonstrates the beauty of gift-giving, stretched out over 90 seconds. No words are needed to tell the story. They tug at the heart and bring a reminder of what the season is all about: the gift of giving. I think this is the best one in the John Lewis (2011) series, with a nice twist and a tug at the heartstrings at the end.
Have a look at the John Lewis Christmas ad from 2020
Coke Argentina
Coca-Cola, the brand that came up with the look of how we see Santa Claus, creates a beautiful Christmas ad. From Argentina, here’s a brilliant take on spreading the joy of the season.
Tim Horton's in Canada
This Christmas ad will make you cry just a little bit. A nice touch of reality about being a parent from the old school to the new school.
Allegro in Poland
This Christmas ad has great storytelling from Allegro, a Polish website. The ending is very heart-warming. Millions of views so far, lots of tears for sure.
Anuncio Lotería from Spain
Every year, there is a lottery just before Christmas, Anuncio Lotería de Navidad 2016. The last few years, they have done some great ads with deep storytelling. This Christmas ad tells a sweet story of a grandmother who catches the winning number on TV from a few years ago, believing she has won this year’s lottery. Very cute that the family goes along with it as she moves through the village. Nice ending.
Marks and Spencer from the UK
Marks and Spencer likely won the UK retailer contest of 2016. This Christmas ad does a nice job in telling the story of Mrs. Claus. While very modern, it still brings a lot of traditional touches of Christmas.
Air Canada
One of the best Christmas ads from 2019. A very simple idea, but nice production. The main kid actor really delivers the magic, even more challenging to do it through visuals, as this ad must work in both English and French.
Sainsbury's from the UK
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of World War 1, Sainsbury’s created this very high production spot, telling the story of how the soldiers took a break from the war to share Christmas together.
Mulberry in the UK
Not your normal holiday ad, but I love the creative idea behind this ad: WIN CHRISTMAS. So what beats a beautiful portrait, a puppy that waves or a unicorn? A new bag from Mulberry!!!
Burberry in the UK
The ad portrays Thomas Burberry as an obsessive inventor and entrepreneur showcasing the emotion he put into his craft. It may take liberties on the excitement of his life–bordering on making him into the world’s most interesting man in the world–but we certainly can feel his purpose and passion shining through.
Apple iPhone from the US
In this 90-second Christmas ad, it shows a typical teenager hanging onto this iPhone constantly, and then from there, the magic happens.
Aldi in Australia
What would happen if Santa crash-landed in the Australian outback? Nice Christmas ad.
Bouygues Telecom from France
A beautiful spot from France that will make you smile, dance, and maybe shed a tear. I love this spot.
Currys from the UK
Similar to the Mulberry ad, this dry-humour ad with Jeff Goldblum really stands out.
Supervalu in Ireland
From 2020, playing gently on the coronavirus issues, this Christmas ad has a very cute payoff at the end.
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