'Tis the season - for Christmas ads! We pick our 2019 favourite (sorry Edgar)
The big day is nigh (26 sleeps to be exact ☺️). If you cup your ear you just might hear the far away clatter of elves making gifts, or even Santa himself rehearsing a jubilant “Ho! Ho! Ho!”
Christmas trees are already up in shops and offices, sparkly lights are illuminating the high street, radio stations have festive playlists set to repeat. But there’s one Christmas tradition that seems to get the nation talking like no other it’s…CHRISTMAS ADS!
For a few years now, the big retailers have been spending months (not to mention whopping budgets) on show stopping ads to help get us in the festive spirit. From Sainsbury’s headline hitting WWI-themed short, to John Lewis’ Elton John appreciation, every snow-topped stone has been turned in a drive to deliver two memorable minutes of Christmas magic.
This year is no different, so we decided to spark an in-app poll to let our Yapster family pick which 2019 Christmas ad should sit at the top of the marketing tree.
The baubles:
Argos bangs the drum for its Book of Dreams concept, soundtracked by Simple Minds.
Grime rapper D Double E tells a family that their living room is in IKEA’s first UK Christmas ad.
KFC has opted for a series of manga-inspired animated skits telling turkey horror stories.
John Lewis is the new Coca Cola. This year’s creation follows the trials and tribulations of #ExcitableEdgar.
M&S makes their jumpers the focus of this energetic, House of Pain-infused, TV spot.
Tesco’s effort has Back to the Future vibes. More Marty McPie than Marty McFly amiright?
This year’s Christmas ⭐️is…KFC!
KFC’s turkey horror stories brilliantly exaggerate the stress of preparing the ‘lesser’ poultry at Christmas time - while cleverly pointing out that what people really want is (fried) chicken.
It’s true, most of the Yapster team are partial to a spot of fried chicken at lunch time, and yes, the KFC ads - coming in at just ten seconds - required hardly any effort (or time) to watch, but that’s beside the point.
We can confidently conclude that this year, no one wanted their heart strings tugged. (IKEA’s unique grime-inspired ad was a close runner up, and similarly cuts through the season’s usual superficiality).
KFC shows that it’s possible to be festive, funny and esoteric - we take our Santa hats off to them.
If you’re attempting roast turkey on the big day, we wish you good luck. We’re off for a Christmas burger and bucket…
P. S. Want to see the full turkey horror story series? Campaign has a handy roundup here
