Christmas Adverts 2020: best festive campaigns, from Aldi to Argos
This year's festive advertising campaigns have begun!
We're just weeks away from the big day and brands across the globe are delivering their Christmas adverts.
Big-hitters from across the high street have unveiled their creations, with the John Lewis Christmas advert the latest to emerge.
There has already been a selection of humorous, tear-jerking and traditional offerings with many more still to come.
Read on to see some of the best Christmas adverts from 2020 so far.
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John Lewis - Give a Little Love
The wait is over... John Lewis has released its Christmas advert and it's an incredible sweet affair which is very different to years gone by. We follow a variety of characters who are all animated slightly differently as they go about performing small acts of kindness to strangers, showing what can happen if we all "Give a Little Love". The song, "A Little Love", is performed by BRIT Award winner and singer-songwriter Celeste.
Tesco - No Naughty List
Tesco are letting us all off the hook this year, with their Christmas advert. The funny offering shows different members of the community admitting their naughty secrets, hoping that Santa can forgive them in time for the big day. But at Tesco, there's no naughty list in 2020 and even those who stocked up on toilet roll are given a free pass. The cheeky offering, which has Britney Spears' "Oops I Did It Again" as its soundtrack, reminds us all to treat ourselves this year, because after all, it's been a tough one.
Coca-Cola Christmas Advert 2020
Now, we all know the classic Coca-Cola Christmas advert which belts out that "Holidays Are Coming", but this year, the fizzy drink company has enlisted the help from Oscar award-winner Taika Waititi for their 2020 offering. The tear-jerking advert sees a little girl's father desperate to deliver his daughter's letter to Santa Claus. He sets off on his own odyssey through wind, snow, rain and many more adversities just to make sure Father Christmas gets the note - only for her wish to pack a powerful punch.
Disney - From Our Family to Yours
Disney never fails to tug at the heartstrings and this brand new Christmas advert is no exception.
The short animated film tells the story of Lola, who was given a cuddly Mickey Mouse toy as a child and, in her older years, passes it down to her granddaughter.
However, as her granddaughter grows older, the two spend less time together and Lola fears their once close bond is starting to fade - prompting a sweet gesture that reminds her how loved she really is.
The advert has been produced in association with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, with the cuddly toy featured available to purchase from the Disney Store and a portion of the proceeds going towards the charity.
Aldi - Peel the Need
Aldi's campaign sees the return of Kevin the Carrot, appearing for his fifth consecutive Christmas, and this time he's taking to the skies – flying a fighter jet a la Top Gun alongside 'Lieutenant Turkey'. But after passing Santa's sleigh in the sky, things go badly wrong for Kevin, with the turkey opening the window and ejecting him from the plane.
Keep an eye out for Kevin at Aldi, in previous years he's gone on sale in a plush form.
Argos - An Evening with AbracaDaisy
The Argos advert begins with two girls browsing the Argos catalogue, before they decide on the perfect gift – Marvin's Amazing Box of Tricks. They then put on an impressive magic show for their amazed family, complete with disappearing mince pies and much more, soundtracked by Gary Barlow's new song Incredible.
If you were inspired by the ad, you can get your hands on Marvin's Amazing Box of Tricks at Argos for just £12.
TK Maxx - The Lil' Goat
The star of TK Maxx's Christmas ad is an ice-skating goat who's dressed up for winter with a bright pink jumper, a green scarf and a red beret, attracting attention from both nearby sheep and a man and woman looking out their window.
There's also what appears to be a coronavirus reference: the aghast woman asks, "did you buy the goat a designer outfit?" to which the man replies, "yeah she's had such a hard year, she blooming well deserves it, if you ask me!"
ASDA - That's an ASDA Price Christmas
Asda has put the pandemic front and centre of its campaign – focusing on how we can make the most of Christmas despite the fact it might look a little different, as we watch a family have festive fun soundtracked by Stevie Wonder's That's What Christmas Means to Me."
A man says: "The parties might be smaller, but we can still have great food and we can still party! We can still make new friends and keep the old traditions. Asda's got it covered!"
Amazon - The show must go on
Amazon also has a pandemic themed ad, based around a young ballerina (played by Taïs Vinolo) who had been preparing for a show before it was canceled as a result of the pandemic.
But after the cancellation, her neighbours pull out all the stops to ensure that she can still give a performance, with Vinolo eventually doing the incredible routine for them in a snowy courtyard while they watch from their windows.
You can sign up for Amazon Prime for £7.99 a month with a 30-day free trial.
Pepsi Max - Refresh Your Christmas
This short ad for Pepsi Max features grime stars Kamakaze and TrueMendous, who urge people to scrap traditional festive tropes - substituting Christmas jumpers for hoodies, sleighs for speakers and Christmas trees for palm trees.
Looking for something to watch? Check out our TV Guide.
Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.