Boots "Christmas 2013"

Boots win for weirdest song choice this Christmas, with Bronski Beat's "Smalltown Boy", a song whose lyrics address issues like homophobia and bullying, bringing in the festive cheer. No doubting it's a very catchy song, but seems out of tone with the ad and Christmas in general. Created by Mother London, the campaign depicts a young man sneakily giving friends and acquaintances gifts from Boots in light of their own charitable deeds.

Boots made a major misstep in last year's Christmas advert, with numerous complaint of animal cruelty filed due a shot of a dog being blasted with a hair dryer. Obviously clear to avoid controversy this year, the ad is particularly inoffensive. It's not particularly interesting though either. Youtube views have reached 200,000 in the past week, which is a respectable figure. The spot uses the brand’s “It Feels Good” strapline and highlights the retailer has offers on “1000s of Christmas gifts”. Definitely not my favourite of this year's offerings.

John Lewis "The Bear & The Hare"

In direct competition with M&S is John Lewis, a department store that has been lauded for its creative and engaging Christmas ads the past few years. While this piece doesn't feature any celebrity endorsement, it still was a major investment, costing over seven million pounds to create. John Lewis' agency, adam&eveDDB is particularly note worthy in comparing the two rivals campaigns, as adam&eve was founded by ex-staff members of M&S' agency RKCYR/YR, before being purchased  by DDB. The animations in the campaign were provided by a head illustrator from Disney's The Lion King.

The ad documents the story of a hare attempting to show his hibernating bear friend the magic of Christmas, with Lily Allen providing a folksy rendition of Keanes "Somewhere Only We Know" as the soundtrack. It is John Lewis’ most integrated Christmas campaign yet, encompassing an eBook and hardback book, Christmas card maker, social media, in-store and windows, merchandise, digital outdoor projection and soundtrack single.

The campaign has benefitted from a dramatic response on social media. Compared to last year's Christmas ad which has over 3 million Youtube views to date, this year's campaign has amassed 6 million views in the first week of its release. It also boasts near 100,000 Twitter mentions during the same period. Undoubtedly, the brand will consider this venture a complete success. 

Marks and Spencer "Believe in Magic and Sparkle"

Some major brands released their Christmas 2013 advertising campaigns in the last week, so it makes sense to start taking a look at them now, however far away the holiday is. Marks and Spencer spared no expense in this television spot, showcasing stars like Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Helena Bonham Carter and David Gandy. Created by an English agency, RKCY/Y&R, tv spots began airing on the 7th of November. The tagline, "Believe in Magic and Sparkle", is demonstrated throughout the ad with nostalgic nods to children's stories and fairytales.

The advert is beautifully shot and engaging, with a coherent and sweet story line. However, the biggest triumph is the way in which the stores merchandise is displayed. M&S is attempting to reach younger demographics in their clothing offering, and each piece featured in the ad is covetable and on trend. Changing potential consumers perceptions, coming into the Christmas season, will benefit M&S radically.

IKEA "Undercover"

Gonna bite the bullet and look at one of this year's new Christmas ads, they'll be airing within the next week or two anyway! IKEA ads are usually well done, and this one is no exception. Created by Swedish advertising agency Åkestam Holst, for the Swedish market, this ad demonstrates that even "the busiest man in the world" still makes a trip to IKEA to stock up on Christmas essentials.

The ad is whimsical and invokes the Christmas spirit without being too severe to be seen in November. I'm not someone who is particularly bothered by the festive season starting earlier and earlier each year, but I think this ad might slip past those who are.