With Christmas just around the corner HCX thought we’d celebrate those first signs of Christmas cheer; tv adverts! So here’s our round up of the top 5 Christmas adverts gracing your screens this year…
1. John Lewis.
The perfect Christmas advert. It has everything- a beautiful, emotional cover of “The Power of Love” by Gabrielle Aplin, a heart wrenching love story, picturesque images of the snow covered British country side, small children and even a token Robin. The story follows Mr Snowman, who leaves Mrs Snowman alone outside their beautiful home somewhere in the mountains to begin a journey, a long, arduous journey, to John Lewis. He faces perils along his way; moving through fields of sheep, struggling with blizzards and mountains of the like I didn’t even know existed in the UK. He braves motorways and urban gangs, not to mention the constant threats of global warming, road gritting machines and the potentially fatal central heating of the store itself. Anyone who has tried to venture into a department store around Christmas can relate to Mr Snowman’s woes; traffic jams, full car parks and aggressive shoppers conjure much the same picture. The story concludes with a slightly dishevelled Mr Snowman presenting his frozen wife with a red hat, scarf and gloves and the tag line “Give a little more this Christmas”. As I wiped the tears from my eyes I couldn’t help wishing that someone had told Mr Snowman about the John Lewis online delivery service.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0N8axp9nHNU
2. Boots.
Boots have gone for a more uplifting message in their advert, setting it to the upbeat Elton John’s “Are You Ready for Love”, letting its customers know that with all the boots points you’ve saved up this year you probably are ready for love this Christmas, or at least a kiss under the mistletoe. The advert follows multiple story lines, my favourite being the two teenage daughters who encourage their mum to “get back out there” before throwing some cosmetics in her bed and pushing her out the door faster than you can say Father Christmas (my theory being that they were using the opportunity to invite their own boyfriends round). Other gems include a young boy being give his first shaver, assumingly after months of his older brother teasing him about his “bumfluff” and the other being the young girl who paints her grandfather’s toes, promising not to tell grandma about his cross dressing urges. The tag line of the advert is “let’s give gifts that keep on giving”, which, along with the advert, gives the impression that the boots Christmas gift sets are something more than stocking fillers which sit at the back of your bathroom cabinet for the rest of the year; impressive.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xao1o8ARRnQ
3. Matalan
A beautiful family home, a stunning tree and a mouth-watering Christmas dinner combine to make a perfect setting for Matalan’s family Christmas. The day begins somewhat mysteriously with a young boy opening his present; his delight at receiving a donkey outfit is somewhat perplexing. As the story carries the potential customers through Christmas day an incredibly annoying voiceover woman enlightens us to the ‘true’ meaning of Christmas. She concludes the advert telling us that “at Matalan we believe every family right across the country deserves the happiest Christmas possible” and despite making it sound as though Matalan are about to change from a simple shop to a political party pushing empty slogans, it is a nice festive sentiment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7m4X2CD6Rs
4. Marks and Spencers
The advert begins promisingly, a classic scene of women throwing snowballs towards the camera as though they’re slightly high, making sure that they include the right amount of hair tossing (hair which is suspiciously glossy for people out in a winter wonderland). But before you can fully enjoy the cliché there is a rapid switch to a nightmarish pink office/wardrobe/mental asylum where women strut around finding high heels in filing cabinets whilst a lone man gawps at them looking distinctly more alarmed than aroused. This is followed by fully grown women running around inside something resembling a giant silk airbag/sleeping bag, wearing Bridget Jones styled pyjama’s all to Moulin Rouge music- a confusing message. The advert ends with some kid’s street dancing in a type of gold, present filled ghetto; an act you can only imagine they will regret throughout their life. Disappointingly from M&S this advert feels chaotic, lacking any message or heart.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvtQslFoTOw
5. Asda
This one is included in the list for being one of the worst adverts around this year. Unknowingly transported back to the 1950’s their slogan is “behind every great Christmas there’s mum” and the advert follows a poor woman as she works like a domestic surf in the run up to the big day. On Christmas day itself she’s up early with the kids, then she’s cooking lunch, then she serves the food to everyone on the table before sitting down on a sad looking footstool while her husband (who appears to have had a day of leisure) sits above her on a proper chair. After dinner she does all the washing up before finally sitting down in the living room where everyone else, husband included, is already relaxing. As she does so her husband asks “what’s for tea love”! Considering the archaic portrayal of the split of domestic chores within the modern household there’s little Asda can do to redeem itself. Perhaps filming a prequel where mum throws her class of red wine at said husband, quotes “A Fairytale from NewYork”, before demanding a divorce and telling him to cook his own bloody tea?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiTuiYtaMV4
So there you have it- the best and unfortunately, the worst Christmas adverts on your screens this year!
Image Credits: Mirror.co.uk