Asda, Lidl, Boots, Sports Direct: Get this party started

Seconds out…round three. Well, the festive ads are certainly in full swing, so you Grinches had better look away because in the words of McFadden and Whitehead, “Ain’t no stopping us now”…

So far, most brands have built on previous year’s activity; Sainsbury’s with the BFG, Very with its Flamingos, Argos with Connie and Trevor and Debenhams with its gaggle of celebs.

We can only assume they have taken on board the System1 research, which claims that keeping recurring characters, distinctive assets, and consistent creative elements over the years is a highly effective strategy for Christmas advertising. Bet you can’t wait for the new adventures of Aldi’s pesky root vegetable can you?

However, this year Asda is introducing a fresh approach to festive advertising that swaps traditional Christmas storytelling for a high-energy celebrations.

Devised by Lucky Generals and directed by Finn Keenan, the campaign is built around the message “All of Christmas at Asda Price. BOOM!” and aims to show customers don’t need to cut back on Christmas joy, just the cost.

While many festive campaigns focus on a single emotional narrative, Asda’s is taking a different approach, centring on five key Christmas missions: hosting, decorating, gifting, grocery home shopping and gathering around the dinner table.

Through a series of four 30-second films and a bonus edit for digital channels, festive scenes unexpectedly transform into larger-than-life celebrations, reflecting the excitement, anticipation and chaos that makes many Christmases so memorable.

Set to a remixed version of Martin Garrix’s Animals, a high-energy dance anthem that breaks away from traditional festive soundtracks, each ad transitions from classic Christmas card moments, into bigger, louder, joy-filled celebrations that showcase the feeling you get when there’s more Christmas for everyone.

Launching across TV, social, out of home and digital channels, the campaign aims to reinforce the supermarket’s position as a one-stop shop for Christmas, bringing together quality, range and value across food, drink, clothing, gifts and home.

Asda group marketing director Tom Hampson said: “We wanted to take a different approach to festive advertising by focusing on the moments customers are actively planning and shopping for throughout the season. By bringing those moments to life through our BOOM platform, we’re showing customers they can find everything they need for Christmas all under one roof, at Asda Price.”

The party theme has also been taken up by Lidl, which has joined forces with “Barry from EastEnders” star Shaun Williamson.

Entitled “Lidl Christmas Everybody”, the ad sees Williamson put a supermarket spin on Slade’s festive classic Merry Christmas Everybody, with rewritten lyrics celebrating Lidl’s Christmas food range.

The music video follows our Barry as he spreads festive cheer among his neighbours, arriving with bags of seasonal food and gifts. He is joined by former footballer and television presenter Chris Kamara, Capital FM presenter Kemi Rodgers and comedian Abi Clarke.

The ad features a selection of Lidl’s Christmas range, including turkeys, Brussels sprouts, mince pies and chocolate gonks, as the retailer looks to put its seasonal offering at the centre of its festive marketing.

The launch also coincides with the return of Lidl’s Toy Bank, a nationwide donation initiative run in partnership with charity network Neighbourly.

Running from November 5 to December 16 across Great Britain, the scheme encourages customers to donate unopened toys and gifts in stores. These will be distributed to children through local charities, food banks and community groups.

The initiative has distributed more than 250,000 toys over the past four years.

Meanwhile, Boots has launched “For Gifts They’ll Really Love”, a new film designed to make the nation smile and celebrate the joy of finding gifts that will be cherished for months to come.

With a playful, tongue-in-cheek take on gifting, the creative marks the next chapter of the new “Give it Some Boots” brand platform and is accompanied by a reimagining of the classic carol Shepherd of the Bells, aimed at giving the film a fresh and distinctive feel.

Opening on Christmas morning, the campaign captures the excitement as family and friends unwrap some of the season’s most coveted beauty, wellness and electrical beauty gifts.

But Christmas Day is only the beginning. Fast-forward through the year and the gifts have become full-blown obsessions. Viewers see a mum who wears her LED Light Therapy Mask everywhere, whether taking the bins out or posing for a family portrait. In another scene, a woman is so devoted to her hair styler that she reaches for it midway through a romantic dinner date.

The activity has been developed by the integrated WPP team supporting Boots, bringing together creative, media and production to create a targeted 360 integrated plan, powered by data-driven insights and storytelling.

Boots chief marketing officer Charlotte Lock said: “Boots has long played a special role in Christmas gifting, but we want to keep surprising people and give them new reasons to choose us.

“We want to redefine what people expect from Boots at Christmas and be the destination for the gifts people genuinely want to receive, with incredible brands, brilliant choice and exceptional value whatever your budget.

“The best gifting is about really knowing someone. When we get it right, the excitement lasts far beyond Christmas morning – it becomes the gift they use constantly, talk about and wonder how they ever lived without.”

Finally to Sports Direct and Nike, who have teamed up Manchester City striker and with Nike brand ambassador Erling Haaland – who also just happens to promote Budweiser, Walovi, Visa, Midea and Revolut –  for a campaign featuring some of the biggest names in sport and music.

Entitled “Unwrap Potential”, the activity also stars Olympic sprinter Dina Asher-Smith, England football captain Leah Williamson, rugby player Henry Pollock and rapper Aitch, who take on the role of Christmas gift advisers.

Running across more than 900 Sports Direct stores internationally, alongside TV, social media and digital channels, the 60-second ad follows an uncle visiting Sports Direct in search of a Christmas present for his niece, unaware that a team of sporting stars is helping him make the right choice.

Using what the retailer calls “Athlete Intelligence”, the team spots the girl’s footballing potential and recommends a pair of Haaland’s Nike Phantom 6 Low football boots. Aitch also turns to the sporting experts for help finding presents for his sisters.

Created by Chaos x Magic and directed by Tyrus Hill through Park Pictures, the film is supported by five shorter spots featuring different gifting scenarios, from running and football to trainers and streetwear.

Frasers Group chief executive Michael Murray said: “Christmas is our biggest trading moment of the year, and our first-ever brand exclusive Christmas ad with Nike is a powerful example of the Elevation Strategy in action.

“Featuring world-class athletes like Erling Haaland, Unwrap Potential brings the strength of that partnership to life in what promises to be our most impactful Christmas campaign yet.”

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