TenEighty Does Christmas Ads

Decorating a tree. Waiting for Santa. Being crushed when you go to the shops. All of these are true Christmas traditions.

But in recent years, a new tradition has emerged: waiting to see what companies have offered up for their latest Christmas advertising campaign. Some are good, some are boring, and some are just plain weird. So we decided to run through some of the most memorable from around the world, from both past and present, to remind ourselves the do’s and don’ts of a Christmas advert.

Coca Cola 2015

For years and years, the Coca Cola truck has heralded the official start of Christmas on the internet. That music starts playing, the lights start shining, and the Christmassy glory of the truck rolls onto your screen. This year however, it seems austerity has hit your fav Christmas vehicle as it’s rather…boring? THE SHAME.

Instead there’s some other machine firing off gifts via balloon, giving us nostalgia feels for that thing we did in primary school where we attached postcards to balloons, let them go, and waited to see whose got sent back and whose went the furthest. Ours were never returned though, SO THANKS FOR BRINGING BACK THAT FEELING OF CRUSHING DISAPPOINTMENT COCA COLA. SO MUCH FESTIVE WARMTH.

Currys 2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBsia0jYlx0

There are two simple words why everyone should love this.

Jeff.

Goldblum.

Yes that’s right, Currys have managed to enlist the man, nay the legend, that is Jeff Goldblum for this years festive offering, and the result is as brilliant as you’d imagine. (Well as we would imagine anyway. We’re massive Goldblum fans here at TenEighty HQ. We have a giant poster of topless Ian Malcolm and everything.)

Received a gift that really isn’t the one? Don’t know how to hide your disappointment behind a convincing smile? Never fear, Jeff is here to teach you how to ACT. Watch. Learn. Soak up the Goldblum. It’s a win-win advert.

Tesco 2007

In 2007, Tesco brought joy to the world in the form of a series of Spice Girls Christmas ads only a true Scrooge could dislike. We mean seriously, if you don’t like the Spice Girls even just a li’l bit you’re just NO FUN.

The first is the best of them, and sees all five of them head to Tesco at the same time to do their Christmas shopping (what are the chances?), and subsequently do their best to avoid being seen by the other girls. We think this probably also documents Victoria’s first time inside a Tesco. She’s totes more of a Sainsbury’s girl.

Aldi 2015

Everyone may have been raving about this year’s John Lewis advert last month, but frankly, Aldi stole the show a short while later with their re-imaging of the man on the moon story. There’s not much to say about it really, except that we LOVE IT!

Walmart 2011

In 2011, Walmart tried to whip up a Christmas fever via a singing cat. A solid plan on paper, yet in practice… it’s more disturbing than festive. And the yodelling isn’t that good. And it just goes on. And on. And on. AND ON. FOREVER AND FOREVER. UNTIL ALL THE JINGLES IN THE UNIVERSE HAVE STOPPED JINGLING AND ALL THAT IS LEFT IS DUST AND *ahem* Sorry. This feline sent us a bit weird. Anyway, for how to properly incorporate a cat into Christmas see this year’s advert from Sainsbury’s which features the completely adorable Mog!

Myer 2015

We always thought that Christmas was done a bit differently in Australia, owing to it being their summer and all. Therefore this advert deeply confused us. SNOW? REINDEERS? WHERE ARE THE TURKEYS ON THE SUN SOAKED BEACH? IS IT ALL A LIE? All we do know is that the bit where the angel nonchalantly goes “It’ll be fine” is deffo going on our 2016 mood-board.

John Lewis 2012

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSLOnR1s74o

The John Lewis Christmas advert is now a Christmas tradition, and out of all of them this is our fav. Why? Because you never find out what is in the box. Is it some nice chocolates? Is it a severed head? Is it the final cut of Becoming YouTube 2 as finally finished by Ben Cook‘s future grandson? WHO KNOWS? It’s great fun projecting ever more outlandish stories onto this blank-ish slate of an advert, and this was clearly the inspiration for Hazel Hayes‘s festive video which features in our Five of the Best: Christmas Videos 2015.

The Spanish Christmas Lottery 2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OIhUnw555s

This effort gave us major UP vibes from the get-go, which can of course only be a good thing. Instead of the emotional sucker punch of *that* sequence though, this one had our eyes wetter than the weather’s been on these perennially damp isles for much more uplifting reasons. A genuine source of the best kind of Christmas spirit, take note UK retailers!