The Top 5 Festive Adverts of 2013

It was a dark and dreary Saturday night in November; belated fireworks were exploding irritatingly over-head whilst lacklustre contestants performed on ITV. Da da da dun dun. A tea break…then […]


It was a dark and dreary Saturday night in November; belated fireworks were exploding irritatingly over-head whilst lacklustre contestants performed on ITV. Da da da dun dun. A tea break…then birdsong and the captivating opening notes of a piano.

The magical X factor commercial break signalled the beginning of a Christmas promotional onslaught.  Festive adverts now grace our screens daily and, whether you like it or not, the holidays are coming! So here is a breakdown of the Top 5 2013 Christmas adverts to help get you in the festive spirit.

#1 John Lewis’s animated animal adventure clinches the top spot. Christmas begins, for most, with the premiere of the John Lewis Christmas advert. I always expect it to be a festive and heart-warming affair, but this year my expectations were blown totally out of the water! Suddenly unravelling in front of me was an absolutely enchanting and beautifully illustrated animation.The advert, created using an ‘old fashioned’ line drawing technique had a distinctly Disneyesque feel and was snugly nostalgic. Sleepy Bear and his considerate companion, Hare, are sweet and endearing characters and their story of friendship has been labelled ‘a bit of a tear jerker’.The backing track, Keane’s Somewhere only we know, covered by Lily Allen, is beautiful and melodic making the advert that bit more delightful. If you can’t get enough of cute and cuddly bear and hare, why not follow them on twitter?  The John Lewis Oxford Street store have also got creative with their wares, constructing a life size bear and hare out of various items of furniture for their Christmas window display, well worth a visit if you find yourself in London in the run up to Christmas.

#2 Magic and Sparkle have always produced brilliant Christmas advertisements and this year is no exception.  The advert takes us on a seamless journey from London to the Mad Hatter’s tea party, to a ginger bread house in the woods, to Oz and then back to London again. Quite something for a two minute advert!  Boys, it stars Rosie Huntington Whitely and conveniently her clothes all fall off as she drops down the drain in to wonderland.  For the girls, David Gandy features as a very sexy and suave Mad Hatter, also taking on the roles of Aladdin and Scarecrow.  Wonder where he has been hiding (besides in the bush down the yellow brick road)?

#3 Coca Cola perfectly encapsulates the true meaning of Christmas in their 2013 advert. Selflessness.  A footballer selflessly gives up a penalty to his friend, whilst a father selflessly sacrifices himself to the terrifying driving of his teenage son. Hash-tagged #gooddeeds I think we should all bear in mind the Coca Cola message and indulge in some good old altruism this Christmas (and a bottle of coke too, obviously) as they cut their budget for advertising to send extra help to the Philippines this year.

#4 Morrisons advert stars not only Ant and Dec but an all singing, all dancing gingerbread man! Taking on the role of Lumiere (the candlestick from Beauty and the Beast, you know the one), Mr Gingerbread catapults around the table, flaunts his candy cane and sings a fantastic rendition of Be Our Guest. The Morrison’s icing t-shirt provides the final perfecting touch.

#5 Tesco gives us a montage of home film footage showing one families Christmas over the course of 50 years. Babies are born, children grow up, more babies are born and the men sport truly atrocious hair styles (90’s curtains were never a good look). None the less the advert emphasises one of the most important aspects of Christmas, family.

And the worst…..

Without a doubt the worst Christmas advert of 2013 is from KFC. It is hilarious… for the first 30 seconds. But a full 2 minutes 40 seconds of sickening singing and swaying around a bargain bucket of chicken is too much for anyone to bear. My advice if this advert comes on: switch channels; turn off the TV, LEAVE THE ROOM!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLnEdyxYxVM

What do you think is the best Christmas ad this year? Or have we forgotten any? Let us know in comments.