The Christmas television ad season has arrived in force as supermarkets release their festive campaigns with the help of a slew of celebrities and customer-favourite characters.
Marks & Spencer’s six-part campaign launched on Monday featuring the return of comedian Dawn French’s fairy from last year, advertising festive offerings such as the retailer’s Best Ever Slow-Cooked Turkey and Collection Cornish Cruncher Cauliflower Cheese, as well as a Frozen Collection Raspberry & Pistachio Roulade.
M&S, which in years past has fought a lengthy copycat legal battle with Aldi over its festive light-up gin, is this year selling a Santa’s Workshop Musical Light-Up Tin and a Crafted Collection Nocciolato Panettone.
The campaign’s ad airing on December 17 will feature a performance from classical singer Katherine Jenkins.
French said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be fluttering back as Fairy this Christmas, and oh my wings, do we have a plot twist for you!
“Let’s just say, Fairy meeting Dawn herself was quite THE moment! Who knew we’d ever share the same screen? Magic really does happen!”
The comedian added: “I spent some time tasting this year’s unbelievably delicious Christmas food range from M&S … and can honestly tell you those hours might be my FAVOURITE moments from my whole year!
“As for making the ads … wait ’til you see them. We had such a laugh, and they’re so lush! Not gonna lie … Fairy was a diva. Who knew fairies could bite?!”
M&S Food marketing director Sharry Cramond said: “Last year, our Fairy added something truly magical to Christmas, and this year, we’re thrilled to take it to the next level, with Dawn French herself joining the fun alongside her Fairy character!
“We’re always looking to push creative boundaries, and we believe this year’s campaign will leave our customers smiling and feeling super inspired.
“To top it off, we’re honoured to feature the incredible Katherine Jenkins, adding even more festive magic to our screens!”
Amazon’s Christmas ad tells the story of a theatre caretaker whose hidden vocal talent is discovered by his colleagues during his shift.
Encouraged to sing on stage, the talented caretaker performs the 1965 Bacharach-David classic What The World Needs Now Is Love, with the online giant suggesting the ad “shines a spotlight on the profound impact that can come from heartfelt gestures and gifts”.
Meanwhile, Shelter’s ad presents a world of make believe for a young girl stuck in temporary accommodation over Christmas, while Aldi tasked long-time characters Kevin The Carrot and his wife Katie to save the Spirit Of Christmas before it is too late.
Asda’s clip, which will air from Wednesday, features dozens of gnomes striving to get a store ready for the festive season when “every road between here and Sheffield” is closed.
Asda said the ad was built from more than 3,000 hours of animated footage, and is set to the theme of ’80s TV show The A Team.
David Hills, chief customer officer at Asda, said: “Asda’s gnomes are long-standing favourites with our customers and they were staring us in the face as the obvious characters for our Christmas campaign – a very Asda way for us to showcase our breadth of offer.”
Morrisons’ Christmas ad celebrates the family chefs who cook the nation’s festive feasts and opens on a snowy evening with a Morrisons delivery van arriving at a home.
Inside, a lone oven glove catches a spotlight and springs to life, singing the opening line of Give A Little Love.
The ad, by creative agency Leo Burnett, is set to the soundtrack of the Bugsy Malone song, recorded by a choir of 26 Morrisons colleagues at Abbey Road Studios.
