5 Best/Worst UK Christmas Ads of 2021
4 years ago
[full title: 5 Best/Worst UK Christmas Ads of 2021 from an American's Perspective]
#1 (Best): [Tie] Morrisons "Farmer Christmas" & Barbour "Paddington, Please Look After This Bear"
Morrisons (a UK grocery store chain) gave us a batshit insane christmas ad where 2 kids explore a secondary version of Santa with a flying crop harvester
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L89G9H5U9YE
while Barbour, fresh outta their run with Raymond Briggs's Father Christmas did a lovely homage to Paddington Bear [who is having a great renaissance after 2 hit live action/CG films and currently running CG animated series]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5oseavlqbE
#1 (Worst): Tesco "This Christmas, Nothing's Stopping Us"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P7QSCLtRwI
Say what you will about Tesco's "There is no naughty list" campaign last year but this is just borderline poor taste with the kick in the balls is Santa flashing a COVID passport
#2 (Best): Aldi [UK/GB] "A Christmas Carrot"
Aldi might be disappointing here in the USA but in the UK, they have a mascot called Kevin The Carrot and this is the latest ad in the series of his and it leaves a good impression never mind the bad food puns they sprinkled in
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIL8Kl-r0bo
#2 (Worst): Lidl [UK/GB] "Big on a Christmas you can ALWAYS believe in"
While Lidl did a nice meta commercial last year with cute jab at Aldi's Kevin The Carrot, this year's ad from Lidl is a disappointment
Why? It's not quite christmassy, I mean the ad is cute, whimsical and visually stunning but not christmassy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfexHlJ-BVU
#3 (Best): Disney "The Stepdad"
While Disney as a company is slowly becoming the house of cards following trainwrecks like Marvel's Eternals, Home Sweet Home Alone and the handling of the Star Wars Sequelverse, their christmas ads are pretty emotion of which i'm ashamed to admit it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k620f8tV5PI
#3 (Worst): Bounty/Celebrations UK "The Lonely Bounty"
This ad is somehow tied to christmas but somehow doesn't feel like one
also, Worlds Market here in the US has those Bounty bars and they are nothing to write home about, It's basically UK's version of Mounds - pretty much
#4 (Best): McDonald's UK "Imaginary Iggy"
in the UK, McDonald's has this great campaign called #ReindeerReady - where on every christmas season, they will give kids bags of baby carrots mainly as food for santa's reindeer
While the past ads in this campaign focus on the reindeer in one form or another, this one focuses on something emotional - growing up
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRFSj3UC5jk
#4 (Worst): Amazon "Kindness, The Greatest Gift"
Like Disney, i know it's cheating seeing they are shown worldwide but still - the ad is just lame compared to last year's commercial from them
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1z73AKLBgLg
#5 (Best): John Lewis and Partners "Unexpected Guest"
Personally, i don't care about what gender the alien is - this ad is well made but while it is emotional and has good christmas spirit, it pales in comparison the their commercial last year "Give A Little Love"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LEHJob-kjQ
#5 (Worst): Argos "Baubles To Last Year"
Simply Put, Go back to the "Book of Dreams" campaign please, those ads are more entertaining than this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7MF3aW4WmE
Honorable Mentions
M&S "Percy's First Christmas": MCU's Spider-Man as a talking pig? Yes please! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlem-MOMZOs
Domino's Pizza UK "Christmas DOMIN-OH-HOO-HOO": Crazy but not really christmassy, fun to watch tho - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW3HHeb3D3s
TK Maxx (TJ Maxx's UK Branch) "Christmas To The Maxx": A Christmas recital given life by a kid with glam boots - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7W7w-eO-aE
#1 (Best): [Tie] Morrisons "Farmer Christmas" & Barbour "Paddington, Please Look After This Bear"
Morrisons (a UK grocery store chain) gave us a batshit insane christmas ad where 2 kids explore a secondary version of Santa with a flying crop harvester
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L89G9H5U9YE
while Barbour, fresh outta their run with Raymond Briggs's Father Christmas did a lovely homage to Paddington Bear [who is having a great renaissance after 2 hit live action/CG films and currently running CG animated series]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5oseavlqbE
#1 (Worst): Tesco "This Christmas, Nothing's Stopping Us"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P7QSCLtRwI
Say what you will about Tesco's "There is no naughty list" campaign last year but this is just borderline poor taste with the kick in the balls is Santa flashing a COVID passport
#2 (Best): Aldi [UK/GB] "A Christmas Carrot"
Aldi might be disappointing here in the USA but in the UK, they have a mascot called Kevin The Carrot and this is the latest ad in the series of his and it leaves a good impression never mind the bad food puns they sprinkled in
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIL8Kl-r0bo
#2 (Worst): Lidl [UK/GB] "Big on a Christmas you can ALWAYS believe in"
While Lidl did a nice meta commercial last year with cute jab at Aldi's Kevin The Carrot, this year's ad from Lidl is a disappointment
Why? It's not quite christmassy, I mean the ad is cute, whimsical and visually stunning but not christmassy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfexHlJ-BVU
#3 (Best): Disney "The Stepdad"
While Disney as a company is slowly becoming the house of cards following trainwrecks like Marvel's Eternals, Home Sweet Home Alone and the handling of the Star Wars Sequelverse, their christmas ads are pretty emotion of which i'm ashamed to admit it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k620f8tV5PI
#3 (Worst): Bounty/Celebrations UK "The Lonely Bounty"
This ad is somehow tied to christmas but somehow doesn't feel like one
also, Worlds Market here in the US has those Bounty bars and they are nothing to write home about, It's basically UK's version of Mounds - pretty much
#4 (Best): McDonald's UK "Imaginary Iggy"
in the UK, McDonald's has this great campaign called #ReindeerReady - where on every christmas season, they will give kids bags of baby carrots mainly as food for santa's reindeer
While the past ads in this campaign focus on the reindeer in one form or another, this one focuses on something emotional - growing up
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRFSj3UC5jk
#4 (Worst): Amazon "Kindness, The Greatest Gift"
Like Disney, i know it's cheating seeing they are shown worldwide but still - the ad is just lame compared to last year's commercial from them
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1z73AKLBgLg
#5 (Best): John Lewis and Partners "Unexpected Guest"
Personally, i don't care about what gender the alien is - this ad is well made but while it is emotional and has good christmas spirit, it pales in comparison the their commercial last year "Give A Little Love"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LEHJob-kjQ
#5 (Worst): Argos "Baubles To Last Year"
Simply Put, Go back to the "Book of Dreams" campaign please, those ads are more entertaining than this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7MF3aW4WmE
Honorable Mentions
M&S "Percy's First Christmas": MCU's Spider-Man as a talking pig? Yes please! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlem-MOMZOs
Domino's Pizza UK "Christmas DOMIN-OH-HOO-HOO": Crazy but not really christmassy, fun to watch tho - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW3HHeb3D3s
TK Maxx (TJ Maxx's UK Branch) "Christmas To The Maxx": A Christmas recital given life by a kid with glam boots - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7W7w-eO-aE

CapnSqueaks
~capnsqueaks
Ol'Squeaks remembers when he would only really know what festival was on because of what commercials were playing, and they still have a nostalgia fer him