The Very Best Christmas Campaigns of 2016
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Fashion
London - The holiday season is coming up fast with Christmas a mere weeks away, as festive lights have been officially switched on every hight street and shopping centre, holiday windows unveiled in every department store and Christmas trees put up and decorated in every shop. However, no Christmas is complete for most retailers without an effective campaign, and this year’s seasonal advertisements are no exception.
Ranging from a bouncing dog, to a helpful Mrs.Claus, a throwback to the Snowman and the history of Thomas Burberry, FashionUnited has selected the top Christmas adverts designed to tug on both your heart strings as well as your purse strings. And with leading retailers estimated to have spend approximately 5.6 billion pounds on their holiday campaigns according to data from the Advertising Association, its clear retailers are hoping for a stellar Christmas this year.
Scroll down to see our top picks for the best Christmas campaigns and don’t forget to cast your vote in our poll for your favourite advert. Jump to the Christmas Poll.
John Lewis - Buster the Boxer
John Lewis decided to take a more light hearted route this Christmas, following it’s emotional Man on the Moon Christmas campaign last year. The Christmas sees the department store group tell the story of a little girl called Bridget, who loves to jump. She is given her very own trampoline for Christmas, which is enjoyed by numerous wildlife creatures during the night, including foxes and badgers. However there is someone in the house whose passion for bouncing is even more than Bridget’s - namely the family’s boxer named Buster.
The campaign launched on November 10 with the hashtag #BusterTheBoxer. In honour of the wildlife animals brought to life in the advert, John Lewis has also chosen The Wildlife Trusts to act as its Christmas campaign charity partner. "2016 has certainly been quite a year, so we hope our advert will make people smile. It really embraces a sense of fun and magic, reminding everyone what it feels to give the perfect gift at Christmas,” said Craig Inglis, customer director at John Lewis on the advert. Within the first week of airing, the video gained 16.7 million views on Youtube, making it the most watched Christmas campaign on Youtube within the last month.
Marks & Spencer - Christmas with love from Mrs Claus
Marks & Spencer is hoping that its latest Christmas advert will help turn the tide of its falling clothing sales. Said to be M&S most socially immersive campaign to date, the advert tells the story of Jake, who write to Mrs Claus asking her help to find the perfect present for his sister Anna, with whom he has been quarrelling with all year. Naturally, Mrs Claus rushes to help Jake in her own stylish way, delivering Anna’s present personally by helicopter.
Launching a day after John Lewis’s Christmas advert, the campaign aims to align with M&S customers personal Christmas calendars. “Our Christmas with Love campaign is a brand new approach for M&S this year, one that has been created with our customers and for our customers, with their feedback at the heart of our strategy”, said Patrick Bousquest-Chavanne, executive director of customer, marketing and M&S.com. “Mrs Claus is the result of thousands of conversations that we had with our customers to understand what they want from M&S – which is warmth, empathy and a touch of humour presented in a modern and contemporary way.” Within the first week of launching, Mrs Claus racked up 4.2 million views on Youtube.
Burberry - The Tale of Thomas Burberry
British luxury fashion house Burberry took its Christmas campaign video to the next level this holiday season with its short film entitled ‘The Tale of Thomas Burberry.’ Created in honour of the fashion house’s 160th anniversary, its holiday advert features a reimagining of its founder Thomas Burberry life in the form of a cinematic trailer. The advert features a number of famous actors, including Domhnall Gleeson as the protagonist, Sienna Miller as Mrs. Burberry as well as Dominic West and Lily James.
Directed by Oscar-winng director Asif Kapadia, the three minute film focuses on the main points of Burberry’s life. “This Christmas, as we celebrate our 160th anniversary we wanted to tell the story of Thomas Burberry - pioneer, inventor, innovator, and the man behind the iconic trench coat – in our own words," said Christopher Bailey, chief creative and chief executive officer, Burberry. "The film we have made is a brief glimpse inspired by his full and extraordinary life, which threaded its way through the history of the twentieth century in all its tumultuous highs and lows. The short has proven to be a success so far - since launching on November 1, it has generated close to 14 million views.
Mulberry - It’s What Inside What Counts
Arguably one of the most unique Christmas campaign this year, luxury fashion house Mulberry advert tells the tale of a traditional British Christmas, including a querulous mother, bickering sisters and a son with a secret. However, rather than casting adults to star in the campaign, all of the roles have been filled by child actors, giving the campaign an unexpected twist. Written by Hugo Guinness, writer of the Grand Budapest Hotel and directed by Albert Moya, Mulberry’s two part Christmas ad aims to explore how returning to your childhood home and the spirit of Christmas can trigger the realisation that “it’s what’s inside that counts” in the end.
“When I was a kid, all that I wanted to do was to be grown up so I could be like my dad. Now that I am an adult, I just want to be a kid again! Christmas brings out the kid in all of us, and this is what I love about using children to tell our story this year,” said Mulberry Creative Director, Johnny Coca on the campaign. Launched November 14 and November 28, Mulberry’s adverts have yet to gain as much traction on Youtube as the other Christmas campaigns listed, generating a little under 280,000 views on YouTube in total, but are still heartwarming and well-thought out nevertheless.
Sainsbury’s - The Greatest Gift
Sainsbury’s will most likely be competing with John Lewis once more for the title Best Christmas Advert this year, and has therefore decided to pull out all the stops with its stop frame, musical animation. Featuring vocals by James Corden, the advert tell the story of Dave, a hard working and devoted father, who realises that the best Christmas present he can give to his family this year is his time.
Under the hashtag #ChristmasIsForSharing, Sainsbury’s has also partnered up with the Great Osmond Hospital to help families be together this Christmas season. Lighthearted and fun, the advert, which launched on November 13 has over 13 million views on Youtube to date.
House of Fraser - Christmas is Coming for You
British department store group House of Fraser decided sprinkle a bit of sparkle onto Christmas this season in its advert named ‘Christmas is coming for you. Celebrating the slow build of anticipation surrounding the holiday season, the advert is set to the famous song ‘Ready or Not’ sung by Laura Mvula.
Launched on November 4, the video currently counts over 811,000 views on Youtube. “We understand Christmas can give the feeling of trepidation but we want to encourage our customers to truly embrace their shopping experience this year whether that’s adding some festive magic to their home, preparing for the party season or searching for the perfect gift,” said Nigel Oddy, CEO at House of Fraser in a statement on the campaign. "Whether you like it or not, Christmas is coming for you.”
Barbour - The Snowman and the Snowdog
British heritage apparel brand Barbour decided to take a trip down memory lane for its Christmas campaign this year. Best known for its traditional wax jackets, the outdoor brand teamed up with Snowman Enterprises for its 2016 advert. The short clip revolves around James receiving a special present from Father Christmas, one that will ensure his new snowdog is able to remain by his side and become a permanent addition to the family.
Reminding viewers to give gifts that they’ll always remember, the advert, launched on November 3, currently counts over 28,000 views on Youtube.
H&M - Come Together
Lastly, fast-fashion retailer H&M also decided to take a more cinematic approach to its Christmas advert this year and tapped none other than film director Wes Anderson to direct its film. Starring Adrien Brody as the train conductor, the film shows the short tale of a train delayed during Christmas, and how the personnel all come together to ensure the passengers are able to have a Merry Christmas no matter what.
Although the Christmas campaign only launched on November 27, it already counts over 6 million views on YouTube alone.
Christmas Poll
Photo: Courtesy of John Lewis