The Christmas Adverts so far include John Lewis, Asda, Aldi, Debenhams, Coca Cola, Flannels, Sainsbury’s, Lidl, Morrisons, Waitrose,  M&S Food, TK Maxx, Barbour, Sports Direct, Very, Dobbies Garden Centres, Marks & Spencer Home and Fashion, Asda (trailer), Argos, McDonald's, Duracell, Etsy, Peroni, Homesense, Reese’s, Freemans and Joe Browns - Updated 9/11/23

Last year, the first Christmas advert was ridiculously early, with Very being the first UK brand to release its festive campaign to your TV screens on October 7th. This year, the first campaign is a little later, with the first arriving on October 23rd from clothing retailer Joe Browns.

Keep coming back for the latest adverts, and if you spot any new ones or we've missed out your advert, then feel free to email the links and the details to news@prshots.com 

John Lewis

The ad was made by new agency Saatchi & Saatchi - hired after 14 years with Adam&eveDDB - and features a young boy, Alfie, who buys a seed to grow his own Christmas tree at a market and finds instead that he has planted a giant and mischievous Venus flytrap.

Rather than a remake of a major pop classic the ad instead features a track from Italian electropop artists Le Feste Antonacci which vocals from tenor Andrea Bocelli and will be released as a single with profits going to charities including Action for Children.

Shoppable versions of the ad will be available on YouTube and Google while the ad will be linked to the widest ever range of associated merchandise including a soft toy version of Snapper the plant for £18, children’s pyjamas for £19 and venus flytrap plants for £10.

Snapper will also be appearing as part of the Christmas lights at Kew Gardens in London and as a 5-metre tall construction climbing the front of John Lewis’s store on Oxford Street in London.

Asda

Asda has unveiled its second Christmas advert for 2023 which once again stars singer Michael Bublé and is directed by Oscar-winning director Taika Waititi.

The new 90-second advert has Bublé taking on the role of Chief Quality Officer at Asda and follows him around the factory/warehouse inspecting and tasting Asda’s festive offerings, deciding what the nation gets to tuck into this festive season.

Taika Waititi’s ad opens with Bublé sitting, full of cheer, feet up on his new desk, and his gold-plated Chief Quality Officer desk sign in full sight for all to see.

“Products to approve – so bring Mr. Bublé your best”, orders an Asda colleague, once Bublé has finished cheekily requesting a “clean up on aisle five” – something he’s ‘always wanted’ to do. As he walks into a room full of Asda colleagues eagerly awaiting his arrival, he admonishes the fishmonger who has tried, again, to push mackerel for Christmas dinner this year.

As part of the campaign #AsdaXmasBublé  Asda is unveiling the “first-ever Bublé-powered Christmas tree.” For one day only (10am - 7pm on the 16th of November) at Kings Cross Station, Asda will install a 20ft Christmas tree, decorated with over 300 sparkling Michael Bublé-powered bulbs and invite consumers to step up the stage to give the tree their best Bublé to watch it dance and dazzle with light to see the tune-powered tree for yourself.

Aldi

Aldi has released its Christmas advert for 2023 with a Willy Wonka-themed twist, starring its beloved character Kevin the Carrot.

This will be the eighth year that Kevin and his friends have starred in and Aldi Christmas advert and Aldi are no doubt hoping for the success to continue from previous years.

The ad, created by advertising agency McCann, opens with five lucky winners – including Kevin – waiting to enter William Conker’s gravy-filled wonderland.

Other visitors to the factory include Greedy Gluttonous Grape, Sulky Sour Rhubarb and Mischievous Kiwi who, one by one, fall at various hurdles until Kevin is the last one standing.

Coca Cola

The Holidays are coming trucks have been the Coca Cola Christmas staple for what seems like forever and this year is no exception.

Coca-Cola put out an open brief to its creative partners, with a focus on company values and what it believes Christmas is about and eventually, the team landed on the message that we all have an ”inner Santa,” a part of us that can spread joy and be selfless. To show this the advert features a multitude of red suit-wearing characters.

To coincide with the TV ad, there’s also a digital quiz where people can determine what type of Santa they are, as well as the iconic truck tours, on-pack competitions and out-of-home activations.

Deliveroo

Deliveroo is celebrating the weird and wonderful festive period eating habits in its 'Anything Goes' Christmas campaign.

The 30-second festive spot “The rules are, there are no rules” was created by agency Pablo, and opens with a woman answering her door in her pyjamas to a Deliveroo driver because she has ordered some mince pies for breakfast.

The voiceover says: “It’s that time of year again where everyone knows that anything goes.” And features such festive ‘abominations’ as gravy poured on sushi, Cantonese for Christmas Eve dinner and mince pies for breakfast.

Dan Watts, executive creative director at Pablo, added: “If you want a doner kebab for pudding or an ice cream for breakfast then you can. Why? Because Christmas says so. Absofestivelutely anything goes during the festive period. And your local restaurants via Deliveroo are here for it. Whatever ‘it’ might be.”   

Flannels

Flannels has unveiled We Are The Party, what it describes as “a dynamic” Holiday season campaign. It has also launched a Flannels X flagship store takeover on London’s Oxford Street, as well as the debut of a new category for the retailer — Flannels Home.

The Christmas campaign was styled by Kyanisha Morgan, and shot by Crowns & Owls, and according to Flannels “embodies the energy and intimacy of a house party. A vibrant atmosphere is immediately felt in the visual campaign full of spontaneity and social connection.”

Debenhams

Debenhams very brief Christmas campaign “Wonderland is Waiting”, showcases its fashion and beauty offering and includes a host of famous faces including radio host Lisa Snowdon, socialite Sophie Habboo, fashion designer Zandra Rhodes, YouTube stars Sophia and Cinzia, TV personality Alison Hammond and TikTok dancers Brooke and Jessie.

The 23 second initial campaign aims to immerse shoppers of all ages with six different futuristic festive settings.

Daniel Finley, Chief Executive Officer, Debenhams commented: "Debenhams has long been recognised as the trusted go-to retailer, that captures the hearts and imaginations of shoppers of all ages. With our Wonderland is Waiting campaign, we aim to rekindle that emotional connection and invite customers to join us in celebrating the magical nature of the holiday season.

"The unique personalities of our celebrity ambassadors and partners are brought to life in each of the films, as well as showcasing our unrivalled online shopping experience and extensive range of brands on offer.”

Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury’s Christmas advert for 2023 features a cameo by Rick Astley, internet sensation and singing star who did one of the best sets at this year's Glastonbury festival.

The one-minute-long ad is set inside one of its supermarkets, where a girl asks on the tannoy, “Hey Sainsbury’s, what does Santa eat for his Christmas dinner?”.

Colleagues working in the store can be seen offering suggestions of festive dishes including several from its Taste the Difference Christmas range.

The campaign, created by advertising agency New Commercial Arts uses real Sainsbury’s staff in the advert rather than actors as Sainsbury’s head of campaigns Emma Bisley explains: “We wanted to create an advert that champions our colleagues all over the country, as well as highlighting the innovation of this year’s Taste the Different range.”

Lidl

Lidl has taken a leaf out of John Lewis’ book and has gone for heartwarming, with their Christmas ad which tells the story of an adorable raccoon who goes above and beyond to make one little boy’s day extra special.

It begins with the raccoon looking curiously through a window to see a family excitedly decorating a Christmas tree, when the family dog accidentally smashes the little boy’s favourite monkey Christmas decoration.

Lidl will be selling both raccoon and monkey toys in-store with the proceeds going to Neighbourly.

It is also bringing back its Toy Bank initiative, which last year gave more than 80,000 children gifts who might not have otherwise received anything on Christmas Day. And until 16 December, customers can drop off new and unopened toys and games, to be gifted to children that need support in their local area.

Morrisons

Morrisons Christmas advert uses Starship’s 1987 hit ‘Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now’ as its backing, with the advert showing trusty oven gloves up and down the country coming alive to sing their support for hosts as they prepare their Christmas feasts.

The 60-second advert created with agency Leo Burnett, starts with Dad, in his pyjamas and a Santa hat, making his way to the kitchen to preheat the oven at the crack of dawn on Christmas Day.

It then flicks between various families, who are seen preparing food for the big day while being serenaded by their favourite oven gloves.

As part of its Christmas campaign, the grocer is also inviting the nation to get involved with an interactive oven glove karaoke competition on social media.

The #GloveOke challenge, on TikTok and other social media platforms, invites customers to post their own gloves ‘singing’ a duet for the chance to win their Christmas shop.

Waitrose

Waitrose new advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi has produced an ad based around a stylised slick party, featuring a cameo by TV chat show host Graham Norton, a supporter of Waitrose as the brand sponsors his radio show.

The 90-second film takes place at a Christmas party full of mishaps, including early guests and a power cut, with the refrain ‘when the food’s good, everything’s good’ threaded throughout alongside Depeche Mode’s ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’.

This year’s ad is a departure from last year’s campaign, which highlighted the efforts and challenges of Waitrose’s farmers and suppliers ahead of the festive season.

According to Nathan Ansell, the supermarket’s customer director. “This year’s ad is designed to push against the established norms of Christmas advertising.”  Ansel apparently wanted this year’s ad to be “fun.”  

Marks & Spencer Food

Following on from the Marks & Spencer general Christmas advert (see below) M&S have also brought out an advert for their food range and they’ve brought back its festive fairy, voiced by Dawn French. But this year she’s joined by two sidekicks, Hollywood actors and Wrexham football club owner Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who voice The Mittens, named Left and Right.

The advert has six parts to it and they will gradually be teased out over the Christmas season.

The adverts start with a 1’20” Episode One advert which shows the Mittens getting separated from their owner Lilly, and has The Fairy trying to cheer them up by introducing them to the “magic of an M&S Christmas”.

The trio discover the very best of M&S Food this festive season, ending with a Christmas feast complete with all the trimmings.

M&S Food has also inked a partnership with Wrexham AFC, the first club football partnership in the retailers’ history. It coincides with the opening of the new M&S Wrexham Food store on 1 December 2023. The retailer opened its first store in Wrexham in 1936 and it works with neighbouring Village Bakery, which have supplied stores with baked goods for over 15 years.

TKMaxx

TK Maxx has today released its new Christmas advert under the title of ‘Festive Farm’ – with the message ‘spoil your loved ones for less’.

The advert looks at the animals on the Festive Farm and the first animal viewed is a turtle neck-clad alpaca with a crossbody bag, set to the sound of Eve and Gwen Stefani’s early noughties hit ‘Let Me Blow Ya Mind’, swiftly followed by a pair of ducks rocking Harry Styles-inspired pearls, an elegant silk scarf and suave pink bow tie.

Bringing up the rear is a hedgehog scurrying out into the cold in a pink cashmere woolly hat. Add to the mix "lil’ goat" – making its return from the 2020 TK Maxx Christmas campaign – and the stylish winter parade is in full force.

As new jumpers, hats, scarves, bags and slippers are modelled by the animals, the farmer asks his wife "did you buy all the farm designer outfits?" When she confirms she did, he says "I thought we were keeping it small with the gifts this year", to which she responds "oh, I did love".

The 40 second TV ad will premiere at 9.45pm tonight during ‘Don’t Look Down for Stand Up to Cancer’ on Channel 4, and is also launching on TK Maxx’s social channels including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and X.

Barbour

Barbour has this year collaborated with Bristol-based Aardman Animation to create a 90 second advert featuring Shaun the Sheep, and like last year the advert focuses on the brand’s renowned jacket re-waxing and repair service.

The ‘Shaun the Sheep x Baa-bour’ animated advert sees good-hearted Shaun, Bitzer the sheep dog – and the flock of sheep - embark on fixing the farmer’s old Barbour after seeing a series of accidents on Mossy Bottom Farm which damage his jacket during a day’s work. The advert’s story follows the animals trying to fix the jacket for the farmer in the run-up to Christmas day – as you can imagine disaster ensues - and then with a bit of Christmas magic Barbour saves the day for the farmer.     

Paul Wilkinson, Commercial Director at Barbour, said: "This Christmas, we wanted to demonstrate the importance of extending the life of our garments and we’ve been able to achieve this through our partnership with Aardman. Working with Shaun the Sheep and his friends, we’ve created a light-hearted and engaging film that we hope will make people smile this festive season.

Sports Direct

Sports Direct latest Christmas ad is titled “Dream Big” and features a host of sports stars including Lionesses Alessia Russo and Lauren Hemp, current England stars Mason Mount, Aaron Ramsdale, Eberechi Eze, Eddie Nketiah and James Maddison as well as Welterweight Boxing Champ Conor Benn and Team GB Sprinter Zharnel Hughes.

The campaign follows on from last year's advert which was named Give Me Football and is directed by LOOSE and features Tears for Fears hit Everybody Wants to Rule the World which has been updated to Everybody Loves This Time of Year.

The commercial shows the determination of Little Legend Macy whose Christmas wish is to become the world's best sports star. She takes on a range of sporting heroes in a playful dream sequence and she beats each of the stars at their own game.

Very

Very’s new Christmas advert ‘Let’s Make It Sparkle’ positions the digital retailer and its customers as vibrant, pink flamingos and encourages us to transform everyday experiences into something wonderful.

The retailer’s Christmas TV advert opens with a dull cityscape, where grey pigeons and pink flamingos are dutifully Christmas shopping. However, this everyday activity is about to be transformed into something magical.

Very’s Christmas campaign developed by The Gate will run nationwide across TV, cinema, VOD, OOH, digital and social media. The animation and characters were designed and produced by Nexus studios, directed by Paloma Baeza. Media planning and buying was handled by Dentsu.

Dobbies Garden Centres

This short 20-second spot for Dobbies Garden centres features multiple vignettes of people finding their ‘Christmust’ at the garden centre chain with the advert ending with the line: “Find your Christmust at Dobbies garden centres.”

It was directed by Daniel Liakh through Spindle, and created by Sam Hinckley and Chris Lawlor.

Marks &Spencer

M&S has unveiled its Christmas clothing and home campaign for 2023, titled “Love Thismas, (Not Thatmas)”.

The adverts feature actresses Hannah Waddingham and Zawe Ashton, singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor and presenter Tan France and are all directed by Black Mirror director Ally Pankiw.

The advert is set across four different homes with each lead star making a decision on which Christmas traditions to embrace this year and which ones to skip.

The adverts use Ray BLK’s cover of ‘I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)’,  as the soundtrack and the campaign invites viewers to “embrace only the things they love about Christmas and skip those they don’t”.

The campaign was created by agency Mother, and features “a relatable reference to the pressures we often face in the run-up to Christmas, and the little things we all do to help make the festive season special for those around us”.

Asda

Asda has unveiled its first Christmas advert for 2023 which stars singer Michael Bublé.

The 60 second advert shows the supermarket’s employees finding the pop icon locked away before the festive season.

While sitting in the break room, three staff members suddenly hear strange noises on the stroke of midnight of 1 November.

After the workers go looking for the source of the noise, the trio find the Asda warehouse decked out for Christmas, as well as a door labelled “MB inside. Do not open ‘til 1.11.23”.

The advert ends with the message “Pop the Bublé it’s officially Christmas” before the singer puts on an Asda name tag, adding “shall we?”

Argos

Argos has launched its Christmas advert starring the retailer’s much-loved toys Connie and Trevor. The advert aims to inspire gift ideas for shoppers and shows the duo showcasing the brands that Argos sells, ranging from Shark to Sonos.

Argos head of campaigns Laura Boothby said: “There was no better way to show off what you can find at Argos this Christmas than bringing back our loveable and family-friendly characters Connie and Trevor”.

The advert builds on the business’s ‘There’s More To Argos’ brand message, which launched earlier this year, which aims to showcase the range of third-party products on offer from the retailer.

The 30-second ad will launch at 19:45 on November 1st, with a high-impact out-of-home campaign also running across the country from November 1st.

McDonald's

McDonald’s Christmas advert gives its customers the chance to win some festive prizes in the run-up to Christmas.

The CGI campaign features a fleet of festive baubles driving through London’s Oxford Circus, a McDonald’s burger box outside the Bullring in Birmingham and Christmas crackers along the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.

The “Festive wins” in the advert are available on the McDonald’s app and will be running for the month of November.

Duracell

The Duracell Bunny saves Santa in this 30-second animated spot. It opens with Santa’s sleigh flying above a forest but when the red-nosed reindeer loses power, the sleigh comes crashing down to the ground. The Duracell Bunny then comes to the rescue, opening up the reindeer’s nose to reveal ordinary batteries.

The Bunny swaps in Duracell Optimum batteries, causing the reindeer’s nose to immediately light up. The Bunny adds a sack of Duracell batteries to Santa’s sleigh, telling him that “the toys are going to need them too”, before continuing his journey.

The advert was directed by Geoffroy Barbet-Massin through The Mill, and created by Jason Berry, Antony Bell, Alex Horlock and Brett James.

Etsy

Etsy’s holiday campaign, Your Mission, highlights a recurring dilemma: “that when buying gifts, even the people closest to us can sometimes feel like strangers.”

Running in the US and the UK, the campaign borrows the Mission: Impossible theme song for four spy-themed ads, which follow Christmas shoppers searching for information and clues that might help them know what to buy, whether for a long-term partner or a six-year-old niece.

Peroni Nastro Azzurro

Peroni has launched a global winter campaign for the first time in the beer brand’s history. The advert entitled ‘Live Every Moment, All Year Around’ is set on a snowy Torino street and features locals working together to clear the pathway leading to a local bar.

The film was created with agency Unbound and directed by Tom Green. The Asahi-owned brand is positioning itself as a beer to be drunk across the festive season, with the campaign to be extended into 2024. It is being shown in cinemas first and will feature on OOH activations and London bus wraps.

Homesense

The Homesense Christmas advert forms part of the brand’s “There’s no place like Homesense (except TK Maxx)” platform.

The 15-second Christmas spot tells viewers that they’ll go “chestnuts” for Homesense. It features a woman sitting on a sofa helping herself to a pile of chestnuts, while surrounded by nutcrackers. The voiceover says: “If you’re into TK Maxx Christmas decorations, you’ll go chestnuts for Homesense.”

It was directed by Max Siedentopf through Riff Raff and created by Simon Allen and Patrick Silla.

Reese's

Reese's 30-second advert promoted its Advent calendars and is part of the snack brand’s "Put peanut butter in it" platform, which takes random objects made out of chocolate and fills them with peanut butter.

The Christmas special features a chocolate stocking as the voiceover narrates: "Ho ho ho, a Christmas stocking. I know what you’re thinking. You want to put peanut butter in it, don’t you?" Peanut butter is then poured into the chocolate stocking as the voiceover continues: "That’s what you get for being good all year."

Freemans

The new Freemans Christmas campaign Freemans hopes to encourage shoppers to spread the cost of Christmas by launching its campaign at the earliest time in its 118-year history.

The new campaign is based around its new 'Made You Look' concept and has dropped a week earlier than last year.

Hero products pushed in the colourful campaign include partywear, shoes, knitwear, handbags, festive pyjamas, socks, toys, Christmas decorations, perfume, a ‘magical’ kettle, as well as gift accessories for dogs.

With the new campaign, Freemans aims to retain its existing customer base - 45-plus female shoppers - and attract a new audience with the campaign.

The TV ad premieres on the 28^th of October.

Joe Browns

Joe Browns, the Leeds-based fashion and home retailer, has announced its first-ever TV campaign in its 25-year history and where better to start than a Christmas advert which uses SkyAd Smart, with targeted ads reaching Sky viewers across the country and runs for four weeks.

The TV ‘burst’ features two adverts. The first one released today (23^rd October) is released online and shows the journey of a group of friends on their way to a Christmas ‘getaway’ together.  The other, which airs on 25 October 2023, allows the viewer to come along to the party as they all celebrate around a table full of festive fayre, including fizz and sprouts.

Both ads were shot in Conwy, Wales, on the same coastline where the inspiration for the brand originated (Morfa Nefyn).

The full ads will also be hosted on their online site  joebrowns.co.uk/tv, and Joe Browns worked with Liquid Creative Agency, based in Liverpool, to develop the concept and execute the production of the advert.

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