Shelter, Morrisons, Argos, Dobbies, Freemans get festive

As many people recognise, Christmas TV ads are just like London buses, you wait for ages for one to arrive and then all at once, there are more than you can possibly dream of.

For many organisations, a festive campaign can make all the difference between a good and a bad Q4; for charities, however, it can prove a lifesaver.

None more so than for housing and homelessness charity Shelter, whose 2024 Christmas campaign, entitled ‘World of our Own’, steps into an imaginary world to escape the harsh reality of temporary accommodation.

It comes as figures from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government show that over 150,000 children in England are currently homeless and living in temporary accommodation, an increase of 20,000 since last year and the record highest ever.

The film opens in an imaginary world and shows a little girl Mia and her dad spacewalking across an alien landscape.

On their adventures the pair search the planet for the Space Palace, Father Christmas waves to them as he flies towards Earth and they high-five an alien octopus voiced by comedian, podcaster and writer Adam Buxton, until suddenly the harsh reality of living in temporary accommodation intrudes and brings them back to earth – because this is a world of make believe, created by Dad as an escape from the shocking experience of children living in temporary accommodation.

At the end of the film Mia and Dad return to the fantasy world, before a flicker of emotion on his face shows the constant stress he’s bravely hiding from his daughter, while trying to make her feel safe.

The film ends with the tagline: “Love alone can’t protect a child from homelessness, but your donations could.”

Meanwhile, Morrisons is celebrating the vital role that hosts play over the festive period in its 2024 Christmas ad, which also sees the return of its popular singing oven gloves.

Developed in partnership with agency Leo Burnett, the campaign centres around a 60-second film that features an uplifting rendition of Give a Little Love from Bugsy Malone, performed by the oven gloves.

This year, the gloves have been voiced by a 26-strong choir of Morrisons employees who recorded their version of the showtune at the Abbey Road Studios in London.

Catalogue retailer Argos is also going back to the future to celebrate Christmas with brand mascots Connie the doll and Trevor the dinosaur.
The 40-second TV spot, directed by Golden Globe winner Michael Gracey, builds upon its ‘There’s More To Argos’ platform launched last year, will span across TV, press, out-of-home and social platforms.

The ad features Trevor living out his rock star dreams, performing a cover of T-Rex’s classic hit 20th Century Boy on a mountain of Marshall speakers.

His best friend Connie appears as an adoring fan in the crowd. The campaign was developed by London agency T&Pm and animated by ETC, with music from David Kosten and sound by Munzie at Wave.

Elsewhere, garden centre chain Dobbies is looking to draw people in this Christmas by creating a sense of magic within its stores throughout the festive season.

Devised in partnership with agency Elvis, the campaign will be centred around a 20-second spot that showcases how Dobbies can help people feel Christmas ‘in every sense’ this year.

The creative will primarily aim to drive footfall to the retailer across the vital Christmas period, targeting in particular a core audience of people aged 44-plus and families.

Online department store Freemans.com has also stepped into the fray, with an ad designed to both inspire shoppers and help customers spread the cost of the big Christmas shop.

It is led by a 30-second yuletide commercial that sees singer and face of Freemans Sophie Ellis-Bextor delivering gifts on the snow-dusted ‘Sleigh Street’, along with a Style Squad all dressed from head to foot in the latest seasonal fashion from the online retailer.

Arriving in a retro delivery van, the glittering five-strong team hand-deliver a selection of tempting gifts to households, echoing Freemans.com who deliver products to homes across the nation.

Highlighted items include a showstopping leopard-print handbag, state-of-the-art LED facemask and child’s Adidas trainers, showcasing the vast range of gifts across the online store’s 60,000+ products.

The ad is being supported across Freemans owned channels as well as broadcast and subscription video on demand and amplified further with YouTube, social and other digital channels and PR.