In today's day and age, the first sign Christmas is on the horizon is often your favourite shop revealing its latest festive advert on TV.
From John Lewis' Man on the Moon to Coca Cola's iconic Holidays are Coming – the imprint of a short commercial can last a lifetime.
Here, Office Administrator and media buying expert Clare Jordan shares her favourite Christmas adverts of 2023.
What makes for a good advert?
Before I go into my favourite adverts from this year, it’s important to take a look at what makes for a real Christmas cracker.
For me, it is all about nailing your audience. Your advert should be targeting your ideal buyer – and to do that you have to do your research.
How old are they? What do they like doing in spare time? What kind of work do they do?
You want your advert to be relatable. Tailoring your advert to your target audience is what is really going to make it stand out.
So what are my top 5 adverts?
If you’re not binging on chocolate over the festive period, then you may well find yourself binging some incredible movies. And Sky have nailed that feeling with this ad.
It highlights some of the best movies families up and down the country love to watch over Christmas and the music played over the top adds to the emotion.
Music is such a powerful tool to reach all different types of demographics in one advert.
The ending perfectly captures the magic of movies over the festive season. I just love it.
Cadbury’s annual Secret Santa Postal Service is back again for 2023.
In their tv advert, Cadbury’s delivery representative Jeff poses the question: “What if you could send a free chocolate bar, in secret, to someone special?”
Jeff then discloses that, through Cadbury’s Secret Santa postal service, individuals can send a free chocolate treat, emphasising the convenience of doing so “from a poster” and encourages viewers to be on the lookout for posters in their vicinity.
The idea of sending something as simple as a chocolate bar makes for such a lovely sentiment – and it is great to see them continue this messaging across their outdoor interactive advertising campaign by utilising QR codes.
All you need to do is locate one of the Cadbury Secret Santa Service digital or static posters, scan the QR code, and be directed to an interactive website to type in your recipient’s details to send them a yummy bar of chocolate.
The visuals of the advert are great and I love how they are using outdoor advertising to supplement what you see on the tv.
Everybody loves Kevin the Carrot. If John Lewis is the number one brand people look out for each year, then the mischievous tales of a certain vegetable hero could come close second.
This year’s follows the story of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – with Kevin playing the role of Charlie.
There are so many fantastic puns that make for a great, light-hearted, feelgood advert that certainly puts a smile on your face… And makes you feel a bit hungry!
Now this was a hard one. It was a very close call between this and my favourite – and for good reason.
I really like how they are making six episodes, rather than just one advert. The stories are told by the fairy, played by Dawn French, and the two mittens (left and right) – who have never tasted M&S food before.
As you can expect with the Vicar of Dibley star, it is very funny – especially given the mittens are played by Hollywood and TV stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Splitting the stories over six episodes keeps viewers engaged waiting for the next instalment. I have certainly found myself eagerly awaiting the next one!
There is no end of words I could use to describe this one. It’s funny, has an emotional feel – and to me, it’s relatable.
Straight away it made me think of my friends in years to come still laughing together and having fun. Christmas is all about sharing those little special moments with loved ones and this advert captured that feeling perfectly.
Amazon are also showing just how big a brand they are – as all they need is a logo to inform the viewers who the advert is for.
By not using words they will also be able to use this in many countries as there are no language barriers. Very clever!
Looking to advertise your business in 2024? Prominent Media are here to help.
Contact me today to learn more about how media buying can propel your brand (just don’t forget to tell me your favourite advert in the email!).
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