The festive season has always been a pretty important time for ad land. Given the capitalist nightmare it all became around the middle of the 20th century, it’s only natural that advertisers would take advantage of the rampant commercialism at the heart of the season. This was all fine and dandy, of course, but in recent years, Christmas has become more than just a couple of days at the end of the year; it takes up most of November and December these days and ad lands knows it.
In a way, Christmas has become synonymous with extravagant advertising campaigns and while it was once only Coca-Cola’s ubiquitous “Holidays are coming” spot that could claim itself as a truly iconic annual Christmas ad, we now “wouldn’t be able to call it Christmas” without Colin the Carrot or the latest weepy from John Lewis. But recently, there’s been something of a pushback.
The likes of John Lewis spend literal millions every year on their Christmas campaigns and the results have become bloated and predictable, with this year’s ads struggling to raise much festive cheer online. Instead, audiences seem to have connected with the independent brands and businesses shirking the agency polish and taking a crack at it themselves.
It’s true, few of these campaigns will be remembered for years to come and you can really see where the money and expertise would have gone in some cases but there’s something so infectious about the goodwill on display here. So, here are my favourite Christmas ads. Kind of.
The Beefy Boys
For a reported cost of just £400, Herefordshire burger restaurant “Beefy Boys” has managed to bag over a million views for its knowingly cheap and cheesy ad poking fun at generic soppy festive spots. The video sees a young boy spend his last tenner on dinner for an old lady.
As snow falls, and a heart-tugging, acoustic ballad plays in the background, we see him drive away on a bus as he looks back wistfully, reflecting on his good deed. But all is not what it seems, and the video has a brilliant sting in its tail. As a keen acolyte of the Beefy Boys myself, I was always going to love this but in a world of ads engineered by focus groups, you can’t help but smile at this one.
Hafod Hardware
This undeniably sweet two-minute clip from Hafod Hardware in Rhayader, Powys, Wales, took just one day to film in 2019 and features the then-two-year-old Arthur Jones. Arthur's proud dad Tom Jones, whose family owns the independent shop, and film-maker friend Josh Holdaway, filmed and edited the video for less than £100.
The video begins with little Arthur getting out of bed before donning his apron and carrying out a day's 'work' at the family-run hardware store. Sweeping the floors, polishing the counter, and replacing stocks on the shelves are all part of his duties, as the busy boy is also on hand to deal with customers - all with a friendly smile on his face. It’s just about the most twee thing you’ll ever sit through but that’s arguably what makes it work. And you can’t argue about that price!
Charlie’s Bar
An Irish pub gave John Lewis a run for their money after imitating a Christmas advert in their token style. Charlies Bar, a pub in Enniskillen in Northern Ireland, created an advert which shows an elderly gentleman putting flowers on his wife’s grave and going about his day being ignored by passersby before enjoying a pint of Guinness with friends and strangers at the bar, revealing the pub as a beacon for those who might otherwise have nowhere to be during the season.
The pub posted the video on TikTok with the advert viewed more than a quarter of a million times and, while it’s far from perfect, it’s at least genuine.
Palace Cinema
The Palace Cinema in Longridge, which has 60 seats and dates back to 1912, produced a sweet tribute to the local community back in 2019. It tells the story of a couple - Tony Freeman, 81, and his wife Carol, 75, who met at the cinema decades ago when Carol was 16 and fell in love; and they're still regular visitors to this day.
The film was created by Palace owner Lara Hewitt, with the help of director Stephan Bookas, 17-year-old film student Jake Mark and residents including artist called Catrin Williams, who pulled together to act in it and provide props, costumes, lighting, sound and even a vintage car. The production, which cost just under £1,000 to make, even features a track by local musician Glyn Shipman.
