Chelsea, Cadbury, M&S, Matalan, Smyths: Let it snow

Oh, the weather outside might not yet be frightful, and fire is not on, let alone delightful, but brands want you to know, in their ads there’s snow, there’s snow, there’s snow… and there’s no stopping them now.

The kick off the latest burst of festive activity we have Chelsea FC and Chelsea Foundation, who are working with charities tackling homelessness across London to support the coldest this Christmas.

As part of the club’s “Wrap Up Warm” campaign, featuring an all-star cast, the initiative will see the club appeal to its fanbase and local residents to donate warm clothing which will then be distributed to those in need across the south-west London community in the build-up to Christmas.

At the centre of the campaign is a festive film directed by Peter Franklyn Banks and KODE as production studio. It features players from the men’s and women’s squads, Blues legend Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, global star and Chelsea fan Central Cee and Madness lead singer Suggs, all wrapped up and styled in the club’s warmest seasonal wear as a young fan finds himself transported to the centre of a club Christmas photoshoot where he meets his hero, Cole Palmer.

Our young fan shares encounters with the likes of Sam Kerr and Christopher Nkunku, before making his way onto the snowy terraces of Stamford Bridge.

A coat gets draped over his shoulders, and as he looks up to see who has given it to him it is none other than Cole Palmer himself. The campaign is a call to arms to wrap up warm with Chelsea this Christmas, one where the club will be leaving the cold to Cole and turning his goal celebration into a symbol of warmth and giving.

The festive video can be viewed across the club’s social media channels along with its website, and fans can donate to a GoFundMe campaign, with items of warm clothing welcomed at donation points

The “Wrap Up Warm” campaign will culminate at the club’s Boxing Day fixture against Fulham FC at Stamford Bridge.

Meanwhile, Cadbury is launching a new integrated campaign designed to capture the true spirit of Christmas, while celebrating special moments and diverse holiday traditions.

This out of home-led activity, devised by VCCP London, marks the first time in years that Cadbury has released a campaign specifically centred around the advent calendar, aiming to make Cadbury a part of everyone’s countdown to the big day.

Comprising 24 unique out of home executions, each representing a day of the Cadbury Dairy Milk advent calendar, the result is a series of ads filled with real-life moments, transforming the traditional countdown into a celebration of Christmas. From placing the final sparkling ornament on the Christmas tree, gathering around a mouthwatering family roast, sharing a sweet moment with a snowman, to the playful chaos of family charades, each execution captures the magic of those holiday moments.

The real-life snapshots have also made their way into a heartwarming social and YouTube campaign. As November unfolds, the campaign builds excitement, mirroring the anticipation of opening that very first door of the Cadbury Advent Calendar on December 1.

“Advent” was brought to life with the help of VCCP’s global content creation studio, Girl&Bear, with media led by Publicis Media, owned channels by Elvis, and PR and influencer content led by Ogilvy.

Next up is the second ad for M&S, this time promoting its Christmas Clothing & Home range, celebrating the transformative effect of the festive season.

As part of the campaign, devised by Mother, a TV ad features young star Skylar Blu (Britain’s Got Talent, Season 15), directed by Emmy nominated Elliot Power, with choreography by Corey Baker, known for his work on the movie Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. The ad is set to the song I believe in miracles by Jackson.

Told through the eyes of a slightly mischievous but charming young girl (played by Skylar Blu, aged 10), it features a magical snow globe, that makes her family come together in the most unexpected ways.

Viewers see the world through the child’s eyes and the laws of physics appear to bend as if the whole house were in a magical snow globe. With a movement of the globe – the whole room turns upside down, as her family defy gravity dancing in unison across the walls, onto the ceiling and in the air, with snow falling and whirling around the room in a pure flight of fantasy.

By the end, everyone embodies the same energy as the young girl, and, with her family they are having the time of their lives. The story ends with the line: “Christmas Starts Here”.

Over at Matalan, this year’s Christmas campaign is designed to honour its customers, the everyday family “heroes”.

Celebrating the reality of familiar family moments, the campaign created by McCann sits under the retailers’ recently launched brand platform, We Get It, We’ve Got You!

In the 30-second spot we meet The Mellings, a family of five, striding into Christmas in their best party gear. The party moments are interrupted by the more relatable everyday scenarios, from tantrums over board games, to running out of festive wrapping at the last minute.

Running through to December, across ITV, C4, Sky and Digital TV channels, the campaign brings humour to the forefront with Matalan reminding us not to get too wrapped up in the big day.

Media buying has been handled by Havas Media Network, Manchester.

Finally, as everyone recognises, Christmas simply would not be Christmas without toys, and just in time here comes this year’s Smyths Toys Superstores campaign by Droga5 Dublin, which will run across all European markets that Smyths operates in – France, UK, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland, Austria and Switzerland.

Creatively, the campaign focuses on the S-word – the excited reaction that the very mention of “Smyths Toys” has on children and the slightly different reaction it has on parents. As the ad unfolds a rather reluctant dad opens the front door of his house to find scores of kids wanting to go with him to Smyths.

It then switches to a shot of him opening up the car door as the same kids appear to be emerging from the back seat as the Smyths Toys jingle states: “We really wanna go to Smyths Toys Superstores.”

A bleeped kid-friendly version of the ad lives on Instagram and YouTube, allowing parents to watch the film around their children, without having to take them to Smyths Toys Superstores afterwards.