There are few celebrations as influenced by adland as Christmas — after all, no ad is more anticipated than the John Lewis Christmas ad, whose annual launch in early November heralds the arrival of the merry season — more than a month before actual Christmas.

John Lewis finally released its long-awaited Christmas ad this year, telling the story of a last-minute shopper taking a journey through time to find a gift for her sister. Similar to every year, the tearjerker ad tugs on people’s heartstrings and reminds them of what is truly important in this festive season.

Advertising does not only reflect culture, but can influence and even create it. Just think about how KFC created the tradition in Japan of eating chicken during Christmas (see more below).

Interestingly, MullenLowe has a history intertwined with the yearly John Lewis Christmas tradition with Lowe and Partners being responsible for the second ad launched in 2008. With Christmas being such a beloved milestone in advertising and life alike, we sat down with our team who told us their favorite Christmas ads and why.

 

#1: KFC | Kentucky is Christmas

Art Director Heizal Yow loves how Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) has managed to claim the Christmas holiday as their own in Japan. Japanese people are more likely to eat KFC or any other type of fried chicken on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. The fried chicken party bucket went national in 1974 with the slogan ケンタッキーはクリスマス！(Kentucky is Christmas!), cementing the connection between fried chicken and Christmas in the minds of many Japanese.

Heizal explains why this is her favorite Christmas campaign. “It’s a great move by KFC, as they claimed and owned Christmas, showing how a brand can root itself so deeply in culture. That’s pretty rare to find these days. Also, my favorite fried chicken is KFC.”

 

#2: ASA | Buddy the Elf

Every year, a few films signal that Christmas is here — The Grinch, Home Alone… and, Elf! Junior Strategist Naomi Low grew up watching Elf every Christmas season, and she may be biased, but her favorite Christmas ad is Elf by ASDA from 2022.

Naomi says, “Seeing this ad in my twenties rekindled feelings of nostalgia and sentimentality for my childhood. When I first saw the ad, I had also thought to myself, how did they retain the essence of Buddy the Elf so well? I then learned that the team had taken scenes of Buddy from the film and inserted him into the footage they were shooting. As we navigate celebrity endorsements and authenticity, ASDA demonstrated a good understanding of ensuring their ad stayed true to personality and culture, while adding their own flair to it.”

 

#3: Harvey Nichols | Sorry, I Spent It On Myself

Creative Director Teddy’s all-time favorite Christmas ad is the Harvey Nichols “Sorry, I’ve Spent It On Myself” campaign. “During Christmas, we typically hear messages about the joy of giving and sharing, but these guys had the guts to go with something much more daring and insightful — the feeling of being entitled to a great gift for yourself. It speaks to a suppressed selfishness that we can all relate to, with humor and wit, making you wonder, if, maybe, just this time, you might want to put yourself first.”

 

#4: Barbour | Shaun the Sheep x Baa-bour

Account Executive Tracey Ang’s favorite ad is the 2023 commercial by renowned UK wax outerwear brand Barbour, which puts out an animated Christmas ad every year. Last year, its ad was done in collaboration with Aardman Animations, better known for their work on Shaun the Sheep.

Tracey says, “I love this ad because of its simple storytelling. It puts a smile on your face no matter your age. Light-hearted humor coupled with the nostalgia of watching an old cartoon — this ad has all the festivities nailed down and feels just like Christmas to me.”

 

#5: Apple x Billie Eilish | Share Your Gifts

Art Director Pearlyn Chang believes the 2018 Apple Christmas ad “Share Your Gifts” featuring Billie Eilish was a fantastic campaign that had a memorable take on the idea of “gift giving”, by inspiring people to embrace their creativity and share their unique talents with others.

“The team behind this ad really embodied the spirit of their message by using stop motion animation and songwriting to demonstrate the beauty that creativity brings. The result is a short film that feels genuine and warm,” says Pearlyn.

Image credits: Unsplash