Top 5 Christmas Ads of 2024
The Christmas period is a great opportunity for brands and businesses to connect with their audiences through creative and memorable advertising, all relating to the festive season. During the holiday season in 2024, a range of companies have stood out with exceptional Christmas advertisements and campaigns that blend storytelling, emotion, and messaging all in one. Here are our top five Christmas ads of 2024.
Campaigns That Captured the Festive Spirit
1. Sainsbury's – "Giant Country"
For their Christmas 2024 advert, Sainsbury’s collaborated with the Roald Dahl Story Company to bring the classic story of the Big Friendly Giant (BFG) to life in a magical Christmas adventure like never seen before. The story follows a girl named Sophie, a Sainsbury’s colleague who works at one of the Sainsbury’s stores. She proceeds to travel around with the BFG guiding him through festive preparations, listing all of the items they will need for the festive dinner. (All of which are conveniently sold at Sainsburys).
Details:
-
Characters: Sophie and the BFG
-
Theme: Adventure
-
Collaboration: Roald Dahl Story Company (Big Friendly Giant)
Marketing Effectiveness
By collaborating with a commonly known and beloved literary character, Sainsbury’s has been able to create nostalgia within their advertising, appealing to both adults and children of all ages. The partnership with the Roald Dahl brand also enhances the credibility of the advertisement by collaborating with the official company. The messaging of the ad works well through an enchanting narrative which aligns with the festive spirit and Sainsbury’s products.
2. Tesco – "Helping Feed Your Christmas Spirit"
Tesco’s Christmas campaign in 2024 tells the soft and heartwarming story of Gary, a man who is reflecting on his late grandmother’s passion for baking gingerbread houses. The narrative of the story transitions between real-life scenes and gingerbread recreations which intertwine with the real world, evoking a sense of creativity and holiday, festive and magical touch.
Details:
-
Main Character: Gary
-
Theme: Family traditions, baking, festivities
-
Visuals: Gingerbread house recreations
Marketing Effectiveness:
This advertisement and campaign emphasises the importance of family traditions and the joy of recreating memories with loved ones, resonating with the audiences’ personal experiences and values. The focus on baking ties directly into Tesco’s product offerings, subtly promoting their range while enhancing emotional engagement with their customers.
3. Waitrose – "The Mystery of the Missing Dessert"
Waitrose’s produced a two-part advertisement where the story unfolds with a mystery of a missing Christmas dessert, this advertisement is highly engaging for viewers and portrays a fun and festive narrative. The ensemble cast adds charm, and the reveal of the culprit provides a satisfying conclusion.
Details:
-
Format: Two-part series
-
Genre: Mystery
-
Cast: Matthew Macfadyen, Joe Wilkinson, Rakhee Thakrar, Sian Clifford, Dustin Demri-Burns and Eryl Maynard.
Marketing Effectiveness:
By creating an interactive and engaging mystery storyline, Waitrose encourages audience engagement and discussion amongst viewers and in turn gains brand recognition. The use of celebrities also enhances this adverts appeal and memorability, and the focus on a festive dessert highlights their premium product range, reinforcing brand positioning for their products.
4. John Lewis & Partners – "The Gifting Hour"
John Lewis once again continues its tradition of emotional storytelling with its 2024 advert “The Gifting Hour”. This adverts focuses on the joy and love of giving and the special moments shared during the holiday season amongst friends, family and loved ones.
Details:
-
Theme: Giving
-
Tone: Emotional and heartwarming vibe
-
Message: Celebrating special moments with others
Marketing Effectiveness:
John Lewis’s ad reinforces its brand identity and values which are centred around heartfelt gifting. This is their core messaging even outside of the holiday season and further helps to cement that in their image. The emotional narrative also helps to foster a deep connection with viewers, encouraging them to associate the Waitrose brand with meaningful holiday experiences and the place to get gifts for others.
5. Coca-Cola – "Holidays Are Coming" (AI-Generated Revival)
Coca-Cola once again revived its classic “Holidays Are Coming” Christmas campaign, but with a modern and techy twist by utilising AI-generated content. The advert features the iconic red trucks and festive imagery used in all previous campaigns. This ad serves as a new wave in AI generated content, while also blending tradition with innovation.
Details:
-
Theme: Revival of classic campaign
-
Technology: AI-generated content
-
Imagery: Iconic red trucks
Marketing Effectiveness:
By combining nostalgia from the traditional adverts at Christmas with cutting-edge technology, Coca-Cola appeals to both long-time fans and a tech-savvy audience which are often younger. The revival of a beloved campaign evokes positive memories across the audience demographic, while the use of AI positions the brand as innovative within the eyes of a younger demographic. This ad is sparking conversations and increasing brand visibility even after Christmas is over.
More interesting content...
Like this story? Share it on your social media...
For more of the latest content, why not subscribe to our mailing list...