Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the telly for something that was not to do with Christmas, up pops a new wave of festive ads, although “new” might be pushing it a bit as most are – a bit like the TV schedules – full of repeats.
The M&S Food Christmas ad for 2025, for instance, features the return of Dawn French as the Fairy character, although according to the Daily Express at least three shoppers are not happy about her appearance due to some insensitive comments earlier this year about the Gaza conflict.
In fact, one shopper was so outraged she said she couldn’t possibly go in to M&S “at the moment”, although she did not rule out doing her whole seasonal shop there in a week or so.
Anyway, the ad, devised by Grey London, with media buying and planning handled by Mindshare, is set in a gridlocked Christmas Eve traffic jam.
Fed-up French is stuck in her Mini until her animated companion, the M&S Fairy, appears. With a wave of her wand, the Fairy transforms an M&S delivery truck into a “glittering Christmas party on wheels” filled with festive food.
Other drivers in the jam join the impromptu party, with Chris Rea’s Driving Home for Christmas blaring out.
Chef Tom Kerridge, who collaborated with M&S on their Christmas food-to-order menu, makes a brief appearance in the traffic jam, looking on at the party and joking, “The world’s gone mad”.
Next up is Barbour, which following two years of festive collaborations Aardman’s Shaun the Sheep, this time it is going for the main attraction of Wallace & Gromit.
In the spot, Wallace invents the “Gift-o-matic”, a machine designed to wrap, unwrap, and pull Christmas crackers automatically, although naturally the invention malfunctions, leading to a “mild chaos” that includes the machine unwrapping Wallace in front of carol singers, leaving him only with a Barbour scarf for modesty.
The Gift-o-matic machine is wrapped in Barbour’s exclusive reimagined “Winterbury” tartan, and the classic tartan scarf is also featured prominently. Barbour is also producing a limited edition run of re-loved wax jackets, with all proceeds going to Oxfam.
Barbour group deputy managing director Paul Wilkinson said: “This year’s film brings a light-hearted charm to Barbour’s Original and Authentic Tartans including the Classic Tartan Scarf and the reimagined Winterberry Tartan.
“Whilst rooted in our British heritage, the story’s themes of generosity and togetherness resonate far beyond the UK, reflecting the universal spirit of the season.”
Meanwhile, Matalan is launching a multi-channel campaign “It’s Showtime”, developed with McCann Manchester, which showcases collections across homeware, womenswear, menswear, and kids wear, aimed at positioning the retailer as the go-to destination for creating a show-stopping Christmas.
At the heart of the campaign is a TV ad that follows a lead character – the “director” of her own Christmas show – as she adds the finishing touches to her home with cinematic flair. Everyday actions, from dressing a child’s bedroom to setting a dining table, are elevated into a high-energy performance, capturing the final moments before guests arrive.
Matalan marketing director Eilidh MacAskill said: “Christmas is such a wonderful time of year – full of joy, excitement and those little moments of magic – and when our customers really go all out to create something special. We hope this campaign inspires everyone to create their own magical Christmas masterpiece at home.”
Over at Morrisons, its 90-second film, entitled “Making More of Christmas”, is designed to celebrate the hard work and year-round effort of the farmers, bakers, fishmongers, and other colleagues who produce Morrisons’ festive food.
Set to a new recording of the Jona Lewie song “Stop the Cavalry”, the ad highlights that the process of preparing for Christmas is “a year in the making,” starting as early as summer with farmers harvesting crops.
Devised by Leo UK, the film follows the journey of food makers through different seasons, from summer fields to an in-store bakery in August and a fishing boat at sea. It ends with a Morrisons delivery driver arriving with a festive shop, in a playful twist on Father Christmas knocking at the door.
The core message is that Morrisons has been “growing, making, baking and crafting all year long” to ensure customers have everything they need for their Christmas celebrations.
The media strategy, planning and buying has been led by Wavemaker UK and the campaign will run across TV, cinema, digital, social, radio, print and outdoor.
Finally to Lidl, which is focusing on the “joy of sharing” and selflessness, contrasting “me, me, me” with “us”.
In the TV spot, devised by Accenture Song with media by OMD UK, a young girl goes Christmas shopping with her family and observes people being kinder to each other during the festive season. She concludes that “everyday has a lot to learn from Christmas”.
Set to an instrumental track of Wouldn’t It Be Nice by The Beach Boys, the ad announces the return of the Lidl Toy Bank scheme, in partnership with Neighbourly.
Shoppers are encouraged to donate new, unopened toys and gifts in stores, which will be given to local charities, food banks, and community groups to help those in need.
Related stories
John Lewis, Coke, Boots, Shelter, Debenhams let it snow
M&S, Argos, Asda, Sainsbury’s, TreasureTress…they’re off
Revealed: The top five days for charity festive donations
ASA: Stay honest, legal, and truthful this Xmas or else
Brits plan to spend more on themselves this Christmas
Never mind ‘Christmas Creep’, here’s the ‘Magnificent 7’
Be the first to comment on "M&S Food, Barbour, Matalan, Morrisons, Lidl: Jingle bells"