The Christmas TV Advert Chart 2016

Christmas is my favorite time of year, and regardless of the consumerist nature of TV adverts, I absolutely love watching all of the TV christmas ads that come out every year.

The first advert I remember absolutely falling in love with was the Snowman advert from John Lewis way back in 2012.

There’s something about the haunting music, powerful lyrics and emotional message that touched my cold heart. Ever since I’ve been waiting for the Christmas Advert to top it, and sadly whilst many have tried — none have just hit the right note.

Without further ado

So, without further ado — below is my 2016 chart of Christmas TV adverts, ranked from worst to best!

Christmas TV Ad Chart 2016

16. Toys R Us - It’s a Magical Place! (Freefalling)

Brace yourself for Toys R Us Diabolical Christmas Ad for 2016

Toys R Us is a magical place apparently. So magical that they barely even show it in the advert. Or any toys. I’m not quite getting who this atrocious low budget Christmas advert is aimed at. It feels badly edited and horribly choppy, like a last minute rush to throw something together, a bit like a task in The Apprentice.

And dont get me started on the awful out of date social media icons at the end. Let’s just write this one off as a complete failure shall we.

15. Burberry - The Tale of Thomas Burberry (-1)

It’s a not so Christmassy tale for Burberrys 2016 Xmas Campaign

I found this “advert” very hard to place — one because it’s got practically nothing to do with Christmas (you see kids opening presents for like 1 second), and two because its essentially a trailer for a not-real-film film.

It’s beautifully shot, engaging and intriguing — I just don’t get where it fits into Christmas. Burberry doesn’t advertise it as anything to do with Christmas on their YouTube page — and I can’t imagine they’ll spend much money trying to air a 3 1/2 minute advert on TV. However, wherever it’s placed when you read this — you can be assured that regardless of the fact it has nothing to do with Christmas, it’s still a damn sight better than anything below it in this chart.

14. New Look - ANGELSXROBOTS (-1)

It’s Angel X Robots in New Looks 2016 Xmas Campaign

I had to think a little bit harder about this ad than any other so far. The concept of the advert completely baffles me. Angels and Robots. Apparently they’re having a party together? I have no idea what that signifies.

The video shows an attractive couple walking for a little bit and then they meet up, and that’s about it. At first I was annoyed because the only reason one could deduce that this slick, sexy 80's synth laden advert was related to Christmas is due to the fact the ‘Angel’ had a party invite in her hand telling you so.

Then I thought about it a little more. This advert is clearly not aimed at people who enjoy a traditional Christmas. This advert is for people whose social lives thrive over the festive season, with the works Christmas do, Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Years Eve and just about every day in between. And maybe the tone of this video is how they want their customers to feel this Christmas. Slick, confident, sexy. So I’m not going to hold that against them. I actually love the tone of the video, including the Stranger Things-esque soundtrack. So party on New Look, Party on!

13. Harrods - A Very British Bear Tale (-1)

A very British Bear tale for Harrods!

Harrods advert this year tells the story of a brave bear who saves Christmas from a naughty elf. I can’t muster up much to say about this one, to be honest. Whilst the animation is nice, the advert itself is quite generic and pretty much completely forgettable.

But it does have strong Christmas themes and whilst it’s not good, it’s not infuriatingly bad either, hence why it’s not the worst on this list.

12. House of Fraser - Christmas is Coming for You (-1)

Ready or not, here is House of Frasers 2016 Christmas Ad.

I can’t recall having ever seen a House of Fraser Christmas ad before so I had no idea what to expect. It wasn’t short of surprises. House of Fraser have gone for a very cinematic approach with their ad.

I got a few different vibes from the advert. The song was a very strange choice, a cover of “Ready or Not” by the Fugees, and the editing had some kind of Gladiators theme song going on in there. There’s a moment where they’re banging on a table which reminded me of some kind of Grease hand jive. However, somebody needs to tell House of Fraser that the good looking dapper grey Santa has been done to death. However they did a great job of advertising a lot of their product ranges in an organic way.

The technical work on the advert is just stunning. The way elements and props bleed off the screen into the black “letterbox” areas of the video is fascinating to watch. Overall it was a spectacle, just not a very Christmassy one!

11. Very.co.uk — #LoveGiving (-1)

Very.co.uk — Get more out of living, Christmas Ad.

This years Very advert was very unexpected for me. I honestly don’t remember their advert from last year, but when I think of Very I think of sleek, sexy, sparkly advertising. Not this cute animated, Disney-esque advert we’ve actually ended up with.

The video depicts a ginger haired girl (shout out to all my gingers out there), who has a reverse-grinch-olian experience when her heart grows bigger every time she gives a gift to somebody. At first it’s to specific people, then she starts giving presents out willy nilly — clearly because she loves giving! That’s clearly what Very want you to do (with their products and credit facilities ofcourse). In the end it all gets a big cheesy and she’s sitting on her flying heart through the sky, and even Santa gets a present!

All it all it hasn’t rocked my world but the animation’s great and it’s pretty cute!

10. Alzheimer’s Research UK - Santa Forgot (New Entry)

At the time of writing this we currently have 15 adverts in the review, and Santa Forgot is the most important of them all. Beautiful traditional animation tells the story of Freya, a young girl who travels to the North Pole to see Santa, who has since retired from his job as Father Christmas due to his frustration at his inability to properly perform his duties anymore, caused by Alzheimers.

The team over at Alzheimers Research UK did a brilliant job coming up with this concept and using it as a tool to raise awareness. The concept of Santa Claus spreads so much joy throughout the world for children and adults alike, so to see Santa defeated by a mental illness is a very sad thing to watch.

There’s no happy ending here, atleast not yet anyway. But hopefully one day there can be with your help.

Text ‘BELIEVE’ to 70755 to donate £5 to Alzheimers Research UK. Texts cost £5 plus your standard text cost. 100% of your donation goes to Alzheimers Research UK.

9. Argos — The Yetis (-1)

The Argos Christmas Yetis 2016

Whilst the rainbow coloured array of Yeti’s are cute for the first 10 seconds of the advert, the cuteness quickly wears off and leaves you with more questions than answers. What do Yeti’s have to do with Christmas? Who designed their custom ice skates? Why are they multicoloured? What’s Blue Yeti listening to on his Beats headphones?

The message of the advert is that you can get same day delivery for your Christmas presents, which makes you question why anybody would do that? Unless they waited until the last minute, in which case it probably won’t be possible to get same day delivery on Christmas Eve. Or you can “Collect in store in as little as 60 seconds”? I’d like to see terms and conditions and the statistics for that claim.

All in all at the end I’m left with an advert starring the most expensive Yeti’s ever (£30k they cost), that doesn’t make me feel anything, except annoyed at its blatant plot holes and poor marketing shtick.

8. Sainsbury’s - The Christmas Gift (New Entry)

Sainsburys say Christmas is for Sharing this Christmas!

Sainsbury’s advert starts out as an incredibly relatable story and quickly spins into a pathetic narrative about a man cloning himself so he can spend time with his family. I think the advert would have been better without this concept and could have been half as long and had twice the impact. The negativity ends there however.

James Cordon is great as the main character, he’s not an incredible singer but that’s not the point. The song is relatable, humourous, catchy and festive. The MAIN point of the ad is about spending time with your family at Christmas (and twerking), which is what it’s all about, so I love that.

The video was created with puppets which is incredible in a world of lazy digital animators and gets them an extra few brownie points in my book! Definitely worth checking out the behind the scenes video to see all the hard word they put into the ads.

7. M&S - Mrs Claus (-1)

There’s a lot to love in this advert. I really like the humanisation of Santa & Mrs Claus, making them seem like a normal couple, with Mr Claus heading out for the night shift, as many working men do. I also loved the fact Mrs Claus was played by an older woman with modern sensabilities, I think it makes her relatable to a lot of women in this respect. Loved the nod to 50 Shades of Grey, with her 50 Shades of Red novel, and the fact one moment she looked so fashionable and the next thing shes in her traditional pyjamas!

As for the story itself, I couldn’t bare the child actors. It might be because I don’t like kids in general, but highlightning how petulant children can be, and then saying that’s okay because they’ll get along at Christmas, really isn’t cool. Maybe it’s just me.

I loved the editing of the ad itself, it was a very cinematic experience to watch Mrs Claus jet-skiing through the snow before flying over the Thames in London, in a helicopter. Her scenes were beautifully shot.

The M&S advert was a beautiful excercise in marketing which shows somebody at the place knows what they’re doing. Even if they’re having a bit of a persona crisis at the moment, they still managed to pull off a pretty beautiful advert.

6. Aldi - Kevin The Carrot (-1)

Kevin The Carrot is on the run for Aldi’s 2016 campaign.

I have so many issues with this advert I don’t know where to start, but before I get into that, let me explain why it doesn’t have a *horrible* position. The creative work is great on the advert. Kevin the carrot is very cute, and the traditional style and tone all work very well. I loved all the moments Kevin had on his journey, getting grated, dodging roast potatoes — but unfortunately this is also part of my biggest problem with the advert.

My first question is, why is the Christmas dinner steaming hot and ready to be served on Christmas eve? Why is the Champagne on ice? Why have the candles been lit (and left unattended, Kevin doesn’t count). Kevin’s main obstacle throughout the advert is illogical, it makes the whole point of the advert redundant.To top it off, Santa’s mince pie is practically on the floor, so why didn’t Kevin just jump on the floor?!

Finally, Kevin, this character we’ve grown to know and love over the past 40 seconds of our lives, falls asleep; only to be woken up, kidnapped by Santa and hanging off a piece of rope waiting to be devoured by Rudolph! This is not only cruel to poor Kevin who is now unexpectedly going to meet his grisly fate, but also poor Rudolf for being forced to work by Santa, starved and teased with this delicious looking carrot!

Overall the advert is cute and traditional and I think it will get a lot of people talking — which why it hasn’t placed too badly. But not a great effort from the minds paid to come up with this one! The social media campaign they’ve got going however is pretty great, so you should go and check that out.

5. Heathrow Airport - Coming Home For Christmas (New Entry)

These cute little bears are landing at Heathrow this Christmas

Now, first off do not ask me why Heathrow airport needs an advert. It’s the airlines that need to make the bookings, and any sane organised person will have booked their flight already. HOWEVER, I’m glad they did make one because this advert is bloody adorable.

I love the animation of the bears, the humour, the quintessentially British music. It evoques the themes of Christmas without being cheesy and I loved that. I’ll admit I wasn’t thinking too hard about what was going to happen but the twist at the end caught me by surprise and it definitely put a little lump in my throat. So adorable! Great job Heathrow.

4. TK Maxx — The Sing-Song (Non Mover)

TK Maxx presents The Sing Song, Christmas 2016 ad.

This advert is one that’s so bizarre it actually took me a while to decide how I felt about it. I didn’t burst out laughing, I wasn’t annoyed or repulsed by it, I didn’t feel overly emotional… I felt kind of… numb. Confused. But there’s something captivating about the advert that keeps your attention from start to finish.

The more I’ve watched it the more I’ve began to appreciate what they’ve tried to do here. This advert looks traditional, has a vintage AND modern soundtrack (Pulp Fiction and Black Eyed Pea fans will recognise) but it also feels like a viral video aimed at a younger generation.

I said what they tried to do, but I was wrong — it’s what they’ve managed to achieve. I think a lot of people will take something away from this advert. Great job, and extra brownie points for getting a dog in there. We love a good, talented dog in the UK.

3. Tesco - Bring It On (Non Mover)

Tesco Bring It on Christmas Advert 2016

Tesco’s “Bring It On” Christmas advert flies straight in to a top spot on my Christmas chart. This advert is probably the one with the cheapest budget of them all, but it’s one of the most relatable and humorous, too.

Everybody has a friend who complains about Christmas starting too early, or maybe you’re one of those people yourself. Having such an incredibly simple and relatable advert that really makes you concentrate on the message of the advert rather than the flashy visuals is really quite rare, as you can see by the rest of the videos in this list.

I’m sure this isn’t the last we’ll see of Tesco’s Christmas ads, and I am fully expecting a second creative to appear as we get closer to Christmas due to the fact this one is so focused on it being November and mentioning Bonfire night; but I’ll be pleasantly surprised if they top this one!

2. Littlewoods - The Christmas Walk (Non Mover)

Little Woods — The Christmas Walk 2016 Christmas Ad

Littlewoods smash their way to the top of this chart with their amazingly funny Christmas advert! Families work hard year after year to provide for their kids and make sure they’re kitted out with the best clothes, toys and tech at Christmas. Everybody knows how it feels to put on your fresh Christmas day outfit and head out for the morning to see family and friends; and the tone in which this advert portrays that is hilarious.

In a similar vein to Tesco, there doesn’t seem to be a huge budget here - and it DEFINITELY pays off. Maybe the understated and sentimental is the way forward rather than flashy and overly expensive.

1. John Lewis - Buster The Boxer (Non Mover)

See Buster The Boxer #BounceBounce for John Lewis’ 2016 Christmas Advert

As you all know, I’ve been looking for an advert to top John Lewis’ 2012 Snowman advert. I didn’t know how good or bad the John Lewis ad was going to be this year, but as you can see — they have found their way to the top of the list for 2016 (so far).

I was in two minds about where to place this advert. I’m not going to lie, I had fully made up my mind, and placed it in 2nd, after Littlewood's fantastic “The Christmas Walk” ad. The reason being that although it was incredibly endearing and had a Christmas theme running throughout, I don’t feel it has true a “Christmassy” feeling. And then I watched it again.

It doesn’t flash baubles in your face. It doesn’t wrap tinsel around your neck and make you listen to Mariah Carey. It displays one of the most simple pleasures in life, and something that everybody takes for granted. Harmony and happiness.

With the world on meltdown due to the US Presidential Elections, I feel like John Lewis has created this advert when the world needed it most. People were pining for John Lewis’ usual sad story. And that is not what they got. Yes maybe Buster was a little bit sad that he couldn't play on the trampoline with all of the other animals, and on the surface that’s what the story is supposed to be about. But watching it a few times I came to realise that the trampoline (a Christmas present) has bought all of these animals together, to do something that they all take pleasure from. And that’s what Christmas is all about, bringing people together. Once it dawned on me, it made me appreciate the advert so much more.

The advert itself was simple yet beautifully shot, the CGI animals were beautifully done and the music, a cover of One Day I’ll Fly Away by VAULTS was a nice choice (even though I’m sick of hearing Smooth FM play it every single Sunday night for the past year, thanks for giving them more of a reason!)

I must apologise for my long ramblings, but if an advert was going to dethrone the number one spot at this stage, I felt I had to explain it!

The big question

Has the chart topping John Lewis “Buster the Boxer” advert defeated their Snowman advert from 2012, in being my favourite Christmas TV advert of all time?

Not a chance.