Written by Kianna Best on Nov 5, 2024. Posted in Awards and Festivals

Tis the season for the festive ad rollout

As the spooky Halloween weekend came to a close, brands began to unveil their much anticipated Christmas commercials. Just in time for Mariah Carey’s annual defrosting, familiar characters such as TK Maxx’s farm yard fashionistas and Aldi’s Kevin the Carrot returned to our homes for the holidays.

Image courtesy of Asda

Asda’s gnomes take to the main stage as the newest face for the festive season in The Gnome of Christmas. Max, Gnibbles, Gnorma, Gnicky and Gnarla embark on a mission to save Christmas in the partly animated spot as they help sales assistants Maggie and Bill transform he store. The Havas London commercial transitioned away from the presence of celebrity for this spot, honing in to the beloved garden ornaments.

Star power, however,  was not in short supply for Waitrose’s sleuthing spot Sweet Suspicion. Eryl Maynard’s Miss Marple stars alongside actor Matthew Macfadyen (Succession), Joe Wilkinson (Afterlife), Rakhee Thakrar (Sex Education), Sian Clifford (Fleabag), and Dustin Demri-Burns (Slow Horses) for the first half of the two part commercial. The star studded cast search for the missing No.1 Waitrose Red Velvet Bauble in the Christmassy adventure produced by Saatchi & Saatchi.

Image courtesy of Waitrose

Wieden+Kennedy are no newcomers to the Christmas commercial scene, contributing to some of the most stand out projects over the years including The Letter for Coca-Cola, Sainsburys’ Savour Every Moment, and Tesco’s Christmas 2012. This year, the London based advertising agency take us back to the Festive Farm for TK Maxx, bringing together the band of fashionable farm animals like Lil’ Goat and her beret as well as Duck, Alpaca and Hedgehog, all set to the track Let Me Blow Ya Mind by Eve and Gwen Stefani.

Some brands even forwent the spooky season taking a head start for the Christmas festivities in October. Urban Outfitters tapped into their Gen Z market for Happy Lolidays by 1stAve Machine and Les Enfants. The clothing and home store known for their catalogue of nostalgic items run with that for their holiday spot, as a cast of rapping toys such as Monchichi and Moomin remind consumers of holidays past. Yankee Candle set out to Make It More Magical for their festive spot by Houston as they celebrate the heartfelt moments of spending time with family.