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Here's all the best 2020 Christmas ads!

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All the 2020 Christmas campaigns in one place

Every year the same story: agencies and brands coming together to release a stream of beautiful Christmas ads for the joy of us all. It has almost become tradition. There’s no Christmas without a tear-jerking Christmas campaign.

This 2020, despite being eventful in many regards, was no different. We’re barely at the end of November and over 30 Christmas ads have already been released. If you were looking for a list of the best 2020 Christmas ads, look no further: we at Creativepool have collected all of them for you below.

The best 2020 Christmas ads

From Coca-Cola to Burberry, McDonald’s, John Lewis, Sainsbury’s and Disney, this 2020 is full of Christmas campaigns and, as always, most of them are of exceptional quality.

As usual, all the best Christmas campaigns seem to leverage empathy, human connection, family and storytelling to leave a mark on the viewer, and usually on their cheeks too. I won’t disclose how many tissues I’ve personally had to grope for while I watched these.

Here are all the best Christmas ads from 2020… so far.

1. 'The letter' by Wieden & Kennedy London for Coca-Cola

Apparently Pepsi wanted to play safe this year, or perhaps they knew they’d be defeated from the onset by another, exceptional Coca-Cola ad. Easy enough: if you’ve ever wondered what the Coca-Cola difference is, just take a look at this campaign. Far from an ad that “actually disencourages (sic) to buy,” Coca-Cola’s is beautiful, relatable and eye-watering. Certainly one of the best from this year.

 

2. ‘Inner child’ by Leo Burnett for McDonald's

As if Forever Young wasn’t enough to get us watering up, McDonald’s ad by Leo Burnett features a beautiful story and flawlessly plays with the metaphor of the ‘Inner Child.’ Had to be in the Top 3!

 

3. ‘From our family to yours’ by Disney

You can say anything you want about Disney, but few companies can harness the power of storytelling like them. There is a certain finesse in the Disney ad that makes it different, makes it stand out. Just like that Mickey, who is there, but also isn’t. Amazing work.

 

4. 'Kevin's journey' by McCann UK for Aldi

Go Kevin! Few people can actually remember that Kevin the Carrot was introduced in 2016, and he’s been through a lot of curious adventures since then. In the latest, Kevin wants to go back home in time for Christmas. Great quality, animation and story too. Also, hi there Santa!

 

5. ‘Book of dreams’ by The & Partnership London for Argos

The Book of Dreams was widely recognised as one of the absolute best ads from 2019 – and with good reason. This beautiful sequel to the Book of Dreams features two little sisters getting lost in fancy worlds, dreaming of magic together. Just wonderful.

 

6. ‘Gravy song’ by Wieden & Kennedy London for Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury’s is one of the brands that could never miss a Christmas. This year they released three ads, sparking controversy for no reason at all – especially for the Gravy Song, the first one of the bunch, that features a black family. If anything, it exposed all the awful, underlying racism in this country. As for us, we loved all three of them – though I personally found the second one particularly poignant.

 

7. ‘The show must go on’ by Lucky Generals for Amazon

I mean, there’s Queen in this video. What more can you want? This beautiful Amazon ad brings people together, and it personally reminded me of how wondrous the streets of Italy felt in video, when people were doing full-on concerts from their balconies back in March. So evocative and compelling!

 

8. ‘Space to live’ by Uncommon Creative Studio for WWF

“We would all be lost without a home.” We would, wouldn’t we? If anything, this 2020 has reminded us how much it matters for us to keep living in a society. Just like it matters for endangered species to keep living in their habitats. Beautiful ad by WWF.

 

9. ‘And I think to myself’ by The Lego Agency for Lego

You can practically touch the mastery of the production value in this ad. And who better than LEGO can urge us to ‘Rebuild the World’? Excellent quality, with the kind of story you would expect by the brand behind that beautiful Lego Movie.

 

10. ‘Acts of Homemaking’ by Rothco for Woodie

Without a doubt, this is what Christmas should be all about. Being kind, helping others, especially at a time like this. Little acts of ‘homemaking’ to help another person in need – be it your neighbour, the old lady down the street, or just any random stranger. Great ad.

 

11. ‘Give a little love’ by Adam & Eve/DDB for John Lewis and Waitrose

You know John Lewis and Christmas usually mean trouble for your tear ducts. This year, the brand went for more of an adorable ad than a touching one. It is also definitely showing off, with constant (but well made) jumps in style and visuals. Great idea, and certainly well executed.

 

12. ‘Christmas is on' by Deliveroo

This surely took a long time to edit. Extremely creative idea from Deliveroo.

 

13. 'Your phone's seen a lot this year' by Wonderhood Studios for Three

Literally any phone has seen a lot this year. The very concept of this ad is pure genius – a film from the perspective of a phone, particularly relevant and timely in 2020. But I’m a sucker for POV shots, so see for yourself.

 

14. 'The 55 days of Christmas' by Iris London for Pizza Hut

You can only love a nice Old Spice undertone. This ad by Iris London for Pizza Hut has all the pieces in place to look and feel like an Old Spice ad, which are still probably one of the peaks of modern advertising. As a natural bred Italian, I’m not sure a pizza with rotisserie chicken and bacon is “the best thing from 2020” though.

 

15. ‘Christmas is this Very moment’ by Grey London for Very

If there’s one thing a lot of Christmas ads are lacking, it is authenticity. Not everything just glitters at Christmas time. This ad by Grey for Very celebrates the small things and the tiny warm moments of the festive season. It just feels real, and it works because of that.

 

16. ‘Father Christmas to the rescue’ by Barbour

Barbour injects some fresh air in an environment now dominated by CGI and live action. This adorable story shows a grumpy Santa wanting to help a little girl, who just wants to fix something the dog broke. Just wait until the very end!

 

17. ‘Holidays as usual’ by Publicis Italy for Heineken

Publicis Italy sure knows how to capture family vibes – which isn’t really a surprise, considering that Italy is the land of family vibes. ‘Socialise responsibly’ is a creative take on Heineken’s usual punchline, and the ad itself simply works to pull out a smile from you!

 

18. ‘Xmess’ by AMV BBDO for Plenty

And to remain on the topic of family vibes, AMV has crafted a genuine ad for Plenty to celebrate all the messiest moments during the festive season. Because family may be a mess… but it’s “our mess.” And there’s nowhere else we’d rather be.

 

19. ‘Sport starts here’ by Mox London for Sports Direct

This ad is a journey – and one of the good ones too. Fast-paced, rhythmic, and an incredible editing masterpiece, all packed in just little less than 1 minute of film. Good stuff.

 

20. ‘Home for Christmas’ by Adam & Eve/DDB for Great Ormond Street Hospital

This year has been what it’s been. We can’t turn back time, but we can move forward from here. For this reason, it’s nice to see a message like this coming from a hospital. “Every child deserves to be home for Christmas” – now more than ever.

 

21. ‘The small things’ by SodaStream

Snoop Dogg on screen never gets old. It is also quite nice to see him setting an example, advocating for sustainability and spreading SodaStream’s message. The ad itself has a slightly weird style that strangely fit with the overall tone – in an extremely good way.

 

22. ‘Unwrap the magic of Christmas’ by VCCP for O2

That’s not fair, O2! Little robots are always cute. This adorable ad by VCCP may not have the storytelling power of the ones above, but it’s still a pretty impressive try with extremely likeable characters. Loved it! 

 

23. ‘Snowman' by Adam & Eve/DDB for Greenies

Probably the shortest ad from our list, but still too hilarious to be taken out. Simple idea, beautiful execution and just overall incredibly funny!

 

24. ‘Asda price Christmas' by AMV BBDO for Asda

Surely, Christmas now seems in danger. All those family and friends gathering under one roof to celebrate the festive season feel farther than ever. But we like a bit of optimism here and there. This ad by Asda shows how we can still enjoy Christmas while apart – and the punchline is so clever!

 

25. 'A sausage CaRoll' by Elvis for Walkers

There are so many puns in this that you’ll probably want to watch it two or three times more. Walkers and Elvis have found an amazingly clever way to promote charity AND a new flavour, all in one go, raising money for the Trussell Trust. Great job!

 

26. ‘What the world needs now’ by Ogilvy UK for Boots

How can you not like an ad with animated objects? You’ll probably spend one good minute giggling and awww-ing to this adorable ad by Boots. And the message behind it is extremely powerful, too.

 

27. ‘The office party’ by Gucci

You can always count on Gucci for some good style. 90s vibes are strong with this one, showing an office from a few decades ago (gosh) just getting ready for a Christmas party. Where they will, of course, showcase the best of their Gucci collection. And no, there’s no Harry Styles in this.

 

28. ‘A Christmas you can believe in’ by Karmarama for Lidl

Lidl is clearly fed up with all the wingly-jingly, tender-tempered and also somewhat preachy Christmas ads that come out every year. So Karmarama’s approach was quite different: a bold ad, authentic and hilarious, extremely well done and adorable too. Just great!

 

29. ‘No naughty list’ by Bartle Bogle Hegarty London for Tesco

Rightly, we all deserve something more for this Christmas. So here comes Tesco, reassuring us with its loyal Tesco speaker that ‘there is no naughty list this year’ and that we all deserve a little treat. The ad may sound a bit condescending at that, but it’s still quite well executed.

 

30. ‘The magic of small things’ by Friendly Giants for Notonthehighstreet

Notonthehighstreet clearly cares about the small businesses it represents. Their Christmas ad, drawing heavily on that point, celebrates the ‘small’ things, which is certainly a nice and happily welcomed message in such eventful times.

 

31. 'This is M&S Christmas food' by Grey London for Marks & Spencer

We were arguably expecting a bit more from M&S, but we can’t certainly be dissatisfied with the result. Those watching this ad in search for a story may come out a bit disappointed in that regard, but they will still be pretty blippin’ hungry at the end. Now excuse me, while I go look for a Triple Chocolate Panettone.

 

32. ‘The lil’ goat’ by by Wieden & Kennedy London for TK Maxx

Similarly to Tesco’s ad, TK Maxx’s message focuses on all of us, deserving more treats than usual this year. Except the star of the ad is a well dressed goat, and the Tesco speaker is replaced by a farmer. Funny execution and commendable message for sure, but it does lack some visible energy. Love the little goat though!

 

33. ‘Singing in the rain’ by Riff Raff Films for Burberry

This must have given some serious headaches to production. The raining ice is just incredible to watch, and the long-takes blend perfectly with the scene and vibe. A different ad, and an extremely effective one at that!

 

34. ‘The joy of Dobbies’ by Odd for Dobbies

Another round, another rain. Mince pies this time, with vocal improvisation in the background and in the middle of a snowy set. If you thought these three aspects wouldn’t have anything to do with each other, think again. An ‘Odd’ ad indeed, but an interesting and creative one for sure.

 

35. ‘Making Christmas' by Publicis.Poke for Morrisons

Curiously, Morrisons chooses Christmas to start a phase of ‘denial.’ Rather than looking back on what (little) 2020 has given us, the ad seems to invite to enjoy the moment and the vibes behind the Christmas season. Not entirely sure this is the best way to fence off a quite contagious pandemic, but we do praise the effort and the good faith. Also, another ad that awoke racists from their slumber via its comments section – and we’re not entirely sure why.

 

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