The Christmas Ads that made us say… seriously?

Tis the season to be jolly which means brands rolling out Christmas ads full of festive cheer, shiny, happy people and snow. Because, after all, that’s what Christmas is all about.

But alongside this tried and tested formula, which to be honest is even more meh this year than in the past, there are those special ads. The ones that make you stop, stare and splutter on your gingerbread latte as you ask, “what on earth were they thinking?” and “how the hell did they get that approved?”

So, let’s dive into the Christmas ads which had us shaking our heads in utter disbelief.

Maybe not this Christmas

First on our list is this one from Maybelline. Two things to note. It’s billed as a ‘microdrama’ and has ‘episodes’. Yawn!

What is this obsession with brands needing to have more than one ad to tell a story?  What happened to the good old days when ads like this beauty from Woolsworths,  just told you what stuff they sold at what price and then left you to it?

Anyway, the whole premise of this story is creepy. A woman uses a concealer to conceal the fact that she is in fact an inflatable Mrs Claus lawn ornament.

So, let’s get this right. Their key Christmas message is “use our make-up to conceal the real you”. Hmmm. There are so many things wrong with that, we’re not even sure where to start!

Please, just stop the holidays coming

Well, we had to include this old favourite. Yes, good old Coca-Cola and their festive trucks of delight. And this year, it’s another AI-generated joy which according to a behind the scenes video is “actively shaping how storytelling is evolving’.

Only it isn’t. Well, that’s unless you want your storytelling to be about dead-behind the eyes animals with no teeth (a not-so-gentle reminder that Coke isn’t actually a healthy option?), killer trucks mowing down crowds (0:50), a complete lack of any sense of family or community, and those same killer trucks mysteriously changing shape and size throughout the ad.

But the scariest part – the use of anthropomorphic animals getting excited about Coca-Colas, which they should never drink due to its high caffeine content. Just stop already.

Well, this is delightful

Now, we are all animal lovers and given one of our areas of focus is animal health marketing, we are a bit miffed so many of this year’s Christmas ads have gone down the anthropomorphism route (Aldi, Boots, Cartier to name a few) but PETA being PETA have gone to the other extreme.

Their ad is focused purely on exposing the cruelty of the festive season with its stark, shocking approach aiming to confront people with the reality of consuming animals at your Christmas lunch.

But despite its gore, it completely misses the mark and is more like a bad taste comedy sketch.  Will it stop people eating turkey and pigs and blankets? Unlikely.

Glad we don’t live on this road

There are brands that try too hard and there are brands who, well, decide to just keep it simple which is exactly what British Garden Centres has done. This ad does clearly tell you what they sell (you can’t say the same for this year’s John Lewis ad) but it feels like it was created by an art student back in the 1980s. The lack of diversity backs this up, although no Dad is admittedly more of a modern phenomenon. But hey,  at least, we know where to go for lights now!

Silence the workers

There is nothing more Christmassy than a rich American silencing the workers who are striking because they are overworked and underpaid.

With everything going on in the world, this is tone-deaf in the extreme and why would anyone think creating a Christmas ad about pawning anything to put food on the table would be a good idea? Classy Mariah, classy.

Merry Scratchmas

Tom Daley and an incredibly ugly cardigan. We’re not really sure what this ad is about, but we do like the cheeky reference to Tom’s inappropriate Traitor’s funeral outfit! But that’s the most positive thing we can say.

Home Alone – yes please

Any ad which is about care at home is going to be tricky to pull off, but this is just awful. Unnecessarily complicated, unfunny, and relying way too much on people knowing Home Alone inside out. You get the feeling it was actually pitched by Macaulay Culkin so that he would have a little bit of dosh over Christmas. And rather than just bubble wrapping the house, why don’t you just be with your Mum? Just saying.

Final thoughts

And there we have it. Some of the Christmas ads which could have benefited from a bit more due diligence before they made it out into the Christmas world. Yet even though these ads made us shake our heads in disbelief at least they prompted some kind of reaction. Sadly, too many of the big brand’s efforts this year have been unremarkable, and if they are unremarkable, that also means forgettable.

So, if you are looking for a campaign that is memorable for all the right reasons, we would love to hear from you.