Christmas ads hit TV screens as Scotland prepares for the festivities
By Madison MacVarish
By Chad Madden via Unsplash
It’s that time again!
With Christmas adverts being a staple of British festive culture, the battle for the best Christmas ad is underway. Whether you are cheering for Kevin the Carrot, the talking oven mitts of Morrisons or relating to Dawn French’s frazzled host, the filming budgets get bigger each year.
Advertisers are expected to spend a record £10.5 bn this Christmas, £760m more than last year. So, let’s take a look at some of the standouts.
John Lewis
By Ker Robertson via Getty Images
Usually, when people mention Christmas advertising, John Lewis would be the first to come to mind due to their creative festive advertising.
This year, two sisters are looking for the perfect gift for each other. It starts in a John Lewis store and then takes us through various stages of life, but one sister is still unable to find a gift, creating that relatable sibling love-and-hate relationship as it shows her life leaving that warming feeling once a gift is finally picked.
Boots
By Mike Kemp via Getty Images
This year, Boots created a “werkshop” which shows Mrs Claus taking over while Santa sleeps lazily. Changing from the usual tradition of Santa Claus doing all the work but also showing every beauty product with good deals that are currently trending.
This has caused people reacting to the advert to say it is “grotesque” and “woke”, with things going so far that #boycottboots has started to trend on Twitter, evidently giving the advert more publicity.
Bridgerton actor, Adjoa Andoh, stars as Mrs Claus in her “werkshop”, along with two social media influencers @soph and @snatchedbywill, showing that John Lewis is trying to tap into the Gen Z audience.
M&S Food
By Bloomberg via Getty Images
Dawn French gets a Christmas makeover, as does her dining table when she forgets she is expecting festive guests.
The house is a mess, and she is not ready until the doorbell goes and a fairy appears glamming her up, her home and the dining table, showing off the freshly made festive snacks and meals awaiting her guests.
The ad shows the prepared foods, which are all very festive, being easier to buy from M&S as there is not any overcomplicated preparation to do beforehand.