T’is the season to eat, drink and be merry. To get you into the mood for inspiration, we’ve put together our list of favorite holiday ads and campaigns.
And just like these, they will be living documents as we will continue to update these every year.
Without further ado, let’s jump right in and admire some great brands and ads!
John Lewis
This British department store brand always knocks their Christmas ads out of the park each year. They always find a great way to tie in some of their products and tie in a touching element for the holiday season.
The storyline started off humorous and you’re not quite sure where the video was going and bam, at the end, it hits you in all the feels.
ASDA
The Brits set the bar really high for holiday ads! The British supermarket chain, ASDA, brilliantly and seamlessly weaved in Will Farrell’s character from “Elf” interacting with various staff members in one of their locations. This rotoscoping was brilliant and put a smile on our faces!
In 2023, ASDA borrowed some star power for their holiday ad. This time, with Michael Bublé! The singer’s rich voice and his classic Christmas albums make him a staple celebrity to associate with the holiday season, so they got to have some fun with this little skit!
Etsy
Etsy is the go-to online marketplace for shoppers and creators alike. They weaved together different characters from around the world traveling back home to visit a loved one and giving them unique, meaningful gifts curated from Etsy. Colour us jealous – that custom snow globe is awesome! The message is clear: no matter your budget or who you are, you can find handcrafted gifts on Etsy to make this holidays a memorable one!
Samsung
Samsung goes the literal route. With a sweet story of two friends being brought together by using the new function, “Quick Share” (their version of “AirDrop”) on Samsung devices. That’s the holiday spirit. Sharing and caring…and obviously for brands, selling!
Coca Cola
Coca-Cola or Pepsi? It’s always been a debate, but hey, we’re not here to debate. We chose an example of each brand, and these ads are polar opposites, but both embody some holiday fun.
This vintage ad from the 1940s aged pretty well! Santa is caught red-handed, not for cookies and milk, but for a nice, cold bottle of coke! It embodies the childlike charm of the existence of Santa Clause and gives the audience a good chuckle because we know how refreshing a bottle of pop is when you’re craving it. Because of the intimate setting at home, it’s also sending the message that Cokes should be a staple in your fridge.
Do you think Santa would go for a Coke Zero in 2021?
Pepsi
Pepsi believes in star power, as they chose Cardi B to be their partner in 2019.
First featuring alongside Steve Carell in a Superbowl commercial, she was the star of this holiday advert in 2019. This specific ad was to promote their holiday season campaign of gifting cash prizes forward. This is definitely a more modern take, as Cardi struts her way through the Elves’ workshop, instructing them how to twerk (less hands, more hips)!
We especially loved the “Time to make it rain, deer!” pun and Cardi flying off in a sportscar as her sleigh. Or you can say, slayyy!
Google Assistant
We love a blast from the past! Stir up all the Christmas feels with Macaulay Culkin reenacting iconic scenes from Home Alone. Google cleverly worked its way throughout the McAllister home, highlighting their smart home features that made Kevin’s experience at home alone a lot cozier and a lot less chaotic.
Studies show that nostalgia creates a sense of connectedness, which reduces people’s desire for money. That means if you play into nostalgia, people are more likely to make emotionally-driven purchases!
Chase Bank
Speaking of nostalgia, Chase Bank also knows Home Alone’s power on people who grew up with it. The bank doubled the star power in their video ad with Catherine O’Hara (Kevin’s mom in Home Alone) reciting her iconic line from the movie and Kevin Hart popping out as himself!
Starbucks
In 2021, they launched a limited edition, reusable red cup that is free, only on November 18th. This is part of their mission to reduce single-use cup waste by 50% by 2030. Now, that’s an initiative that consumers can get behind!
We also like the fun that Starbucks has with its ads. Simple, creative, and spreading holiday cheer.
Amazon
This ad came out in 2021. It perfectly encapsulates the sense of burnout and anxiety many of us might be feeling throughout the pandemic. There are no grand gestures, dialogue, or really any “holiday” theming in this video ad at all. You can tell by the setting of the season and the main character’s occasional outfits clad in red, but Amazon focused on telling a story in this campaign. Their message was simple: a small gift to a neighbor is a gesture of kindness that many people might need in a time like this.
We liked how they sneaked in that the neighbor ordered it on the Amazon mobile app. Easy peasy!
Spotify
Alex Bodman, Spotify’s global executive creative director said,
It acts like a Spotify Wrapped (year at a glance) reflection of the streaming platform as a whole and celebrates people’s ingenuity and life in general! We like that it offers humor and optimism at the end of the year.
Christmas Tree Visuals
Not sure if we’d gift Pringles as a stocking stuffer, but we love a good pun!
The simple visual of the chips swirling up to make a Christmas tree is actually a popular design. Matt Gray shared a great list of examples, such as:
VRBO
VRBO, a vacation rental site, used humor to tap into a need uniquely created by the pandemic. They showcased what working from home with the kids looked like, which may make your home a little “less presentable”. That could be a stressor with the upcoming holiday season, where family and friends would be visiting.
They launched this (we’d say, strategically) in early November, exactly to capture those who might be dreading hosting Thanksgiving and Holidays because of the clean-up required. Genius, right?
Macy’s
Macy’s focused on storytelling with this touching video ad. They barely showed any of their brand or products until the very end, and wow–they established themselves as THE gift destination for your loved ones.
Did this one bring a tear to your eye? (It did for us!)
John Lewis & Partners
John Lewis gets multiple mentions on our list. It’s a UK brand of high-end department stores.
Like the Macy’s ad we just shared above, they wanted to tell a story and aim to touch the audience’s hearts. It shows Sir Elton John’s singing his hit, “Your Song,” at home, then you are taken through moments in his life, where he performs around the world in different settings. But the most crucial part is the ending scene, where it’s 4-year-old him unwrapping his Christmas present from his grandmother, his first piano, forever changing his life.
It’s heartfelt and reflective.
However, some argued that the advert was more of a promotion for Elton John’s biopic, Rocketman, which was released around the same time, and pointed out that John Lewis didn’t even sell pianos! After facing the feedback, funnily enough, John Lewis listed some pianos on their online store. This reminds us, marketers, not to get entirely carried away from storytelling and stay grounded with effectively communicating our brand offerings!
We hope you enjoyed our curated list of favorite holiday ads! Perhaps they even sparked some inspiration for your campaigns next year!
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