Another day, another shower of festive ads has burst on to screens large and small across the UK, even John Lewis – the retailer which for many years has defined Christmas advertising – is getting in unusually early.
In fact, Saatchi & Saatchi’s third festive campaign for the retialer centres around a father-son relationship and appears to be the perfect antidote to this year’s ITV drama Adolescence, although apparently the script was finished before that show came out.
Featuring the Alison Limerick hit Where Love Lives (reimagined by Labrinth), the campaign leads with a two-minute film, which will run across TV, digital and cinema.
Set on Christmas Day in a family household, it takes viewers to Christmas Day in a family household. Passing a son who’s in his own world with headphones on, the focus shifts to the Dad, who is by the tree on his hands and knees clearing up discarded wrapping paper.
There he discovers an unopened present marked ‘Dad’ with a smiley face. Inside is a vinyl record of Where Love Lives, and as the opening bars of the tune fill the room, he closes his eyes and is transported back to the 1990s.
Suddenly, he’s in a club, dancing with his friends. Through the strobe lights he spots his teenage son across the crowd. Calling out to him, the son begins to fade beneath the flashing lights as the music swells to a crescendo.
In the flashes of the strobe lights, the Dad calls for his son who – not as a teen, but as a toddler, takes his first steps towards him. Another flash, and the Dad holds his newborn son bundled tightly in his arms. The music becomes a bridge between memory and love, between then and now.
The scene shifts back to the present day, as Labrinth’s newly reimagined version of the track echoes softly. The Dad is in the living room when his son comes down the stairs and catches him enjoying his gift.
The son looks on, slightly embarrassed, until his Dad pulls him an embrace. They share a quiet, unspoken moment – a wordless “thank you”, carrying the weight of “I know we aren’t as close as we used to be but I love you.”
The spot is supported by a fully integrated mix of OOH, social and digital activity. This is supported by extensive in-store experiences and gifting initiatives throughout the festive period, ensuring a cohesive brand presence across every touchpoint.
John Lewis director of brand Rosie Hanley said: “This year’s campaign is a celebration of connection, memory, and the unspoken emotions that make the season truly magical. We hope the ad will inspire our customers to find the gift that articulates their feelings, allowing the present itself to speak volumes where words may sometimes fall short.”
Over at Coca-Cola, perhaps unsurprisingly the “Holidays Are Coming” again; well, after 30 years, this campaign shows no sign of being forced off the road.
Headlined by a new TV ad, “A Holiday Memory”, the blitz features an AI-powered refresh of the “Christmas convoy” spot, aimed at “inspiring human connection by transforming the hustle and bustle of the season into moments to pause and experience pure joy with every sip”, apparently.
It shows a mother busy planning and prepping for the holiday, frustrated trying to balance the star on the tree. Refreshed by a gulp of Coca-Cola, she discovers a magic-infused ornament – a snow globe containing figures who then spring to life in memory – celebrating to the tune of ‘Feliz Navidad’. It’s a moment that reminds her what the holidays are all about.
The campaign was developed by WPP Open X, led by VML, and supported by EssenceMediacom and Ogilvy.
In a further bid to encourage human connection, Coca-Cola’s ‘Caravans and Truck Tour’ will also deliver immersive experiences in communities throughout November and December, “bringing people together to enjoy the spirit of Christmas”.
Even so, for families in need of support from housing and homelessness charity Shelter this is a highly challenging time of year; behind closed doors life can be extremely tough living in temporary accommodation, with many suffering from devastating conditions and immense frustration.
Its Christmas campaign, backed by Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart ballad, is led by 60-second film, the fifth created by agency Don’t Panic.
Directed by The Greatest Showman‘s Michael Gracey, it follows a schoolboy who hums the epic ballad on his bus ride to school and in his classroom, before he is shushed by a stern librarian. Checking the coast is clear before emerging from a toilet cubicle, he begins to belt out the 1980s classic, while clenching his fists, before dropping to his knees while a pupil looks on bemused.
Taking it up a notch in the lunch hall, he jumps up onto the table and starts to hit the high notes, while oblivious to his fellow pupils.
On his walk home, he jumps over traffic cones, stomps in puddles, and raises his face to the sky while singing. Returning home and back to reality, he finds his mum holding her phone on speaker mode, trying to get through to the accommodation service, before we realise the heart breaking reason why our hero has got the song stuck in his head – it’s the hold music playing on repeat.
Shelter estimates this year a total of 84,240 families in England will wake up on Christmas Day in insecure temporary accommodation, too often crammed into grotty B&Bs and hostel rooms, where babies have little room to learn to crawl or walk, while children are forced to share beds and have no space to do homework.
Shelter director of campaigns and policy Mairi MacRae, said: “With genuinely affordable social homes in short supply, families often face months if not years in cramped, insecure temporary accommodation, with little or no support.
“Every day we hear from people, like the mother in this film, who are terrified of being stuck living in appalling conditions, watching as damp and mould climb the walls. No family should face homelessness alone. This Christmas, we’ll be doing everything possible to help parents fight for a better home for their children.”
Meanwhile, Boots is reimagining a classic fairytale for today’s consumer, following feline protagonist “Puss in boots” who, faced with the challenge of finding last-minute gifts ahead of the Snow Queen’s Ball, turns to his trusty mirror for advice.
A flash of (obvious) inspiration – Boots – sets him on a journey from snowy fairytale land to a bustling UK high street, on a quest to find the ultimate Christmas beauty gifts for his beloved friends; Rapunz, Snowy, Cinders and Prince Charming.
The film sees Puss take on quite the adventure, battling through the snow in fairytale land passing some familiar magical faces, until a fierce gust of wind whips his beloved hat off and sees him dive headfirst into the snow to retrieve it. Puss falls through the clouds landing abruptly on a high street far, far away from his fairytale village, with a Boots store shining brightly in front of him.
When inside the store, a Boots Beauty Specialist comes to his aid and helps him select standout gifts, and they then head off together to the ball where The Snow Queen receives an extra special gift.
Boots has worked with The Pharm, led by VML, to create a targeted 360 campaign, powered by data-driven insights and captivating visuals. The WPP partnership team dedicated to The Boots Group also includes WPP Media, Hogarth and Ogilvy PR who have led on media, production and PR.
Shot in the UK, the advert combines real footage and CGI to bring the story to life and features the soundtrack Girls On Film by Duran Duran. It will air first time on Boots social media channels, and then on ITV. Following this, the fully integrated campaign will run for eight weeks across AV, audio, OOH, cinema, print, social and online.
Finally to Debenhams, which is now online-only, having disappeared from the high street, but is aiming for a bumper festive season with “Debenhams Delivered”.
Devised and produced by agency Exposure, the campaign is led by a film which opens on a suburban street, where “everyday life gives way to a burst of festive magic”, which turns “pre-season fatigue into a moment we all look forward to” as Christmas is made simple.
With an all-star cast, including TV personality Olivia Attwood, former footballer Peter Crouch, and presenter Judi Love, the film brings to life a “Debenhams Delivered” parade.
The sequence showcases the breadth of Debenhams’ offering through a choreographed homage to the season and is ultimately designed to reinforce the brand’s message that Christmas can be simple, stylish, and stress-free, with everything available at the click of a button and delivered straight to shoppers’ doors.
The “Debenhams Delivered” campaign has launched on YouTube, and is rolling out across broadcast television, BVOD, CTV, OOH, DOOH, radio, digital, social media and press.
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