Who won the battle of the Christmas ads?

Posted by The Oracle Group on 10th December 2019 -

Every year the nation waits in suspense for the official release of the iconic John Lewis Christmas advert, to see what theme and beautiful tale is presented to us.

Marking the unofficial countdown to Christmas, this year’s John Lewis’ sweet fairytale-esque Christmas advert starring Edgar the excitable dragon did not disappoint. With Christmas Day looming less than 20 days away, the annual battle of the brands is well under way. Here, at Oracle we have compiled our Top Christmas Adverts list based on their creative concepts, marvellous marketing and of course, how much they pulled on our heart strings! So here goes…

6. Hafod Hardware advert – ‘Be a Kid this Christmas‘

A lovely Christmas advert which sees two-year old Arthur setting up the family hardware store with members of his family, cleaning the store, stacking the shelves, decorating the Christmas displays, helping with the paperwork, serving the customers. As the day draws to a close a much older adult Arthur, picks up the Christmas tree as he heads home for the day. Leaving the audience with a heart-warming message is that small independent businesses can offer you just as much as your large high street chains.

5. VERY advert – ‘Get more out of giving’

This year’s animated Christmas campaign from very.co.uk follows the residents of Chester Street as they rally around elderly neighbour Sidney to make sure he isn’t alone on Christmas Day. Accompanied by The Social Singing Choir’s cover of Rudimental’s hit Feel the Love, this advert is one that leaves viewers feeling warm and fuzzy inside, with the lovely message of community and much-needed seasonal goodwill.

4. ARGOS advert – ‘The book of dreams’

Everyone can relate to the nostalgia of flicking through the ARGOS catalogue during the countdown to Christmas and circling that brand-new shiny bike or baby Annabelle they wanted as a child. The ARGOS 2019 advert shows a father going through his daughter’s Christmas ‘book of dreams’ and spotting a big red circle around a drum kit. The advert becomes an iconic drum-off with both the father and daughter playing along to the eighties classic Simple Minds tune, Don’t You (Forget About Me). Alongside the advert, Argos has shared cover images of their catalogues throughout the decades, creating the ultimate trip down memory lane for the retailer’s infamous glossy Christmas catalogue.

3. Greenpeace advert – ‘Turkey vs Potato‘

Greenpeace opted for a more alternative and comedic advert this year, staging a rap battle between the main ingredients of Christmas dinner, a turkey and potato. The burns are harsh and the crowd reaps it up until the potato takes it too far, exposing the dirty secret that the feed they use for Christmas turkeys is linked to forest destruction. Greenpeace’s ‘Ultimate Roast Battle’ cleverly sends a poignant message about sustainability as it aims to drive consideration of veggie roast dinners to its audience.

2. McDonald’s advert – ‘Reindeer Ready’

This year’s Christmas tale follows the story of an adorable little girl name Ellie as she befriends a lovable reindeer called Archie, after her older sister Jenny refuses to play with her. However, after Ellie and Archie quickly demolish all the ‘reindeer treats’ in the fridge, the family all head off to McDonald’s, celebrating the fact that McDonald’s will be giving away free carrot stick bags which will be renamed on Christmas Eve.

1. John Lewis advert – ‘Excitable Edgar’

This year’s highly anticipated John Lewis Christmas campaign did not disappoint with the loveable monster ‘Excitable Edgar’ who absolutely loves Christmas but every time he is near something festive, he snorts out flames. Combined with the great soundtrack of Dan Smith from Bastille, the advert leaves us rich in sentiment as walking fire hazard Edgar has an idea that makes him the star of Christmas…