Christmas is upon us which means 'tis the season for festive ads hitting our TV screens.
We all like a good TV ad to give us that first taste of Christmas and here at Enjoy Digital we have some favourites that we always like to look out for. So, we've decided to dig deep into our festive stockings to bring you our top 6 TV ads of 2016, plus a few honourable mentions from yester-year.
Sainsbury's
Kicking us off, we have Sainsbury’s advertising epic - 'The Greatest Gift'.
"I am a huge fan of stop-motion animation, making the skill and craft of this epic ad a clear winner this year for me"
– Kathryn, PR Account Executive
This received a very festive 6.8 out of 10 ED Santas.
John Lewis
Next up we have the kings of the Christmas ad, John Lewis with 'Buster the Dog'. John Lewis have certainly put a stamp on how a Christmas ad should be done but how does Buster measure up to Monty the Penguin and the Man on the Moon?
“I'm a John Lewis Christmas Ad fanatic, so Buster wins for me”
- Jo, Senior Account Manager
John Lewis are bouncing in at a healthy 7.1 ED Santas.
(Not) John Lewis
An honorary mention needs to go to the unofficial 'The Snow Globe' ad created by Nick Jab as part of his A Level course. His video went viral overnight and landed him a job offer from a PR agency.
We are shaking up a snowy 6.4 ED Santas for this one.
Waitrose
This year, Waitrose bring us the wonders of ‘Home for Christmas’.
"Waitrose's simple approach to tugging at our heart strings with a sole robin is much sweeter than John Lewis' CGI overload"
- Emma, PR Account Executive
This managed to bring home 7.5 ED Santas.
Mark's & Spencer's
Marks and Spencer’s relieved Santa of his duties and let the incredible 'Mrs. Clause' save the day.
"The M&S ad is so sweet and warms you inside. Sufficiently Christmassy"
- Charlotte, Creative Copywriter
We are giving this a very classy 7.5 ED Santas.
ALDI
ALDI have exceeded expectations and introduced the lovable 'Kevin the Carrot'.
"I LOVE the Aldi advert, it's just so cute and I love the message behind it. I do like the John Lewis advert but Aldi pips it with the animated carrot"
- Olivia, Senior Account Executive
Kevin has earned himself a tasty 7.8 ED Santas.
Heathrow Airport
And finally, our favourite Christmas ad of the year comes from the most unlikely of contenders, Heathrow Airport with 'Coming Home for Christmas'.
The ad is incredibly heart-warming and represents everything we want Christmas to be about. It couldn't have been summed up any better than by our very own Senior Paid Search Executive Dylan who said “Heathrow. Was cute.”
Heathrow have landed an impressive 8.1 ED Santas.
Hall of Fame
The crown for the best Christmas ad has now become a festive tradition and this year has been just as impressive as last. As Christmas is all about reminiscing, here are a few honourable mentions from over the years that have warmed our hearts.
Sainsbury’s – 'Mog's Christmas Calamity' (2015)
John Lewis – 'Monty The Pengiun' (2014)
Sainsbury’s – '1914' (2014)
John Lewis – 'The Long Wait' (2011)
Iron Bru – 'The Snowman' (2006)