2022 CHRISTMAS ADS – MY LOVES AND LOATHES
With age (albeit still only the grand old age of 23!) I have become somewhat negative when it comes to Christmas adverts. My expectations are unjustifiably high and while I may not be a long-in-the-tooth expert, I still have my opinions, so here goes…
ASDA:
This may be controversial, but although I have love for Elf I think it has been overplayed and now not only will it be all over channels as a film this Christmas it will also be taking over the ad breaks too. I may be a grinch to say I’m already worn out by this advert and it’s not even December. However, even with this in mind I can still appreciate the impressive videography and skill that has gone into this to create such smooth transitions from the film and into a new setting.
2/5
Aldi
I loved the idea of recreating one of the classics at Christmas, Home Alone. It makes me wonder whether this advert has been an idea in the running ever since Aldi named their mascot Kevin in 2016, as it seems too fitting for it not to have been done previously. However, even though the idea is clever I thought the advert was a bit too chaotic. I preferred the Aldi teaser trailer nodding to the World Cup far more! Packed with innuendos and puns, it really did crack me and my friends up. ‘PeasyJet’ was one of my favourites.
Official Aldi ad 3/5
Aldi teaser ad 4/5
John Lewis
Of course we can’t forget the John Lewis Christmas advert which we all eagerly await each year. This year’s is certainly moving and having dedicated the ad to raise awareness of children in the care system it had strong sentiment and meaning behind it and really makes you realise that not everyone’s Christmas is full of magic. As well as the strong emotion this advert elicits, it also has comedic value making it light-hearted whilst still conveying an important message. I love everything about this advert. John Lewis has definitely stepped up from their disappointing advert last year.
5/5
Disney
Last year the Disney advert, ‘The Stepdad’ was by far my favourite advert of 2021. It pulled on the heartstrings and was bound to catch my love and attention with the song choice alone, sung by one of my favourite artists, Gregory Porter. The advert highlights the notion that not all families are perfect and that ALL are different. It wasn’t until I watched this year’s (‘The Gift’) that I discovered Disney has created a triology to share across three Christmases, which I love! Unfortunately, this was the last of the three. Last time the advert was viewed through the perspective of the stepdad and this time we watched through the eyes of the daughter (soon to be older sister). I think the different perspectives will touch people in different ways, so I do think one’s favourite could easily be the opposite to someone else. It’s certainly touching, but I prefer last year’s – the bar was set far too high with Gregory!
4/5
Morrisons
The comparison between the Morrisons 2021 advert with this year makes me think there was either laziness or little budget involved. However, for some reason I think they get away with it – you can’t help but like Farmer Christmas. I do think there could have been more pizzazz, but I can’t help but feel comfort when I watch this advert. The food looks delicious, there’s snow, fairy lights and of course Farmer Christmas and his Welsh accent.
3/5