It’s the most wonderful time of the year and that means (mostly) British holiday ads!
We’ll be honest, holiday ads are a little outside of Daily Brief’s typical entertainment marketing purview, but we love them so much we write about them every year.
So without further ado, we present our favorite holiday spots of 2019.
1. Apple: Holiday - The Surprise
In this emotional spot, a harried mom just wants her daughters to leave her grieving dad in peace, until they finally show her just what they’ve been up to. We defy you to watch this and not tear up.
READ MORE: Adage
CREDITS
Client: Apple
Creative agency: TBWA\Media Arts Lab
Director: Mark Molloy, Smuggler
2. John Lewis/Waitrose: Edgar the Excitable Dragon
British retailer John Lewis is considered the holiday spot-maker to beat when it comes to Christmas ads, but this year the company nailed it again with this delightful spot featuring Edgar the Excitable Dragon. He can’t help it if he just loves Christmas.
The fairy-tale inspired spot is set to a cover of REO Speedwagon’s “Can’t Fight This Feeling” by Bastille’s Dan Smith.
READ MORE: The Drum
CREDITS
Client: John Lewis, Waitrose
Agency: Adam&Eve/DDB
Director: Dougal Wilson
3. Argos: Christmas Advert 2019
This spot dropped early, Nov. 1, and quickly earned a lot of buzz. In it, a man sees that his daughter has circled a drum set in an Argos catalog and it quickly takes him back to his own dreams of being a drummer. It’s set to Simple Minds’ timeless “Don’t You Forget About Me.”
The spot stars prodigy drummer Nandy Bushnell, who visited syndicated talk show Ellen DeGeneres in December and appeared in last year’s John Lewis and Waitrose’s Bohemian Rhapsody, spot which was released in September 2018.
4. Sainsbury’s: Nicholas Sweep
British retailer Sainsbury’s came up with this delightful retelling of Santa’s origin story.
READ MORE: The Drum
CREDITS
Client: Sainsbury’s
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy
5. Tesco: Delivering Christmas
A Tesco delivery man takes a tour of the past 100 years while on his typical route during the holidays.
READ MORE: The Drum
CREDITS
Client: Tesco
Agency: BBH London
6. McDonald’s: Reindeer Ready
A little girl makes the best of it when her big sister thinks she’s too old to still “play reindeers.”
READ MORE: The Drum
CREDITS
Client: McDonald’s
Agency: Leo Burnett
7. Chick-Fil-A: The Time Shop
Sticking with a prevalent theme this year of little girls, boys and dragons who can’t find people to play with them, this spot shows a discouraged little girl who discovers how she can give the gift of time to her busy family.
8. Gap: The Hoodie
A mom remembers her son’s favorite pieces of clothing after he grows up and forgets about it.
CREDITS
Agency: Johannes Leonardo
Production Company: Park Pictures
Directed by: AG Rojas
Executive Producers: Jackie Kelman Bisbee, Dinah Rodriguez
Producer: Pete Vitale
Director of Photography: Alexis Zabe
Art Director: Chris Jones
READ MORE: The Drum
9. Amazon: Everybody Needs Someone to Love
Amazon’s singing gift boxes are back and this year, they are singing to Solomon Burke’s classic “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love.”
The spot is created by London-based creative agency Lucky General. It debuted during Sunday Night Football and has extended out to traditional media, as well as online, digital, radio, print, out-of-home and social.
READ MORE: The Drum
CREDITS
Creative Agency: Lucky Generals
Director: Henry Alex Rubin
Production Company: Smuggler
Editors: The Quarry
Post Production: The Mill
Music: Sound Tree
SFX Post : 750mph
10. BBC One: Xmas Life
Graham Norton and friends remind us of all the wonderful things about the holiday season in this holiday brand spot for BBC One.
RELATED: Graham Norton Extols Virtues of #XmasLife in BBC One Campaign
CREDITS
Client: BBC One
Agency: BBC Creative