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Each year in the run-up to Christmas, Britain’s largest retail stores and supermarket chains release a flurry of TV ads designed to pull at the public’s heartstrings and, more importantly, motivate them to part with their hard-earned cash as part of the nation’s annual gift-giving frenzy.
In a year pockmarked by a pandemic, many of the ads for the holiday season of 2020 take on a somber tone and haven’t gone over the top in terms of dazzling special effects as furloughs and strict lockdown measures have spelled tough times for families everywhere.
Here’s a sampling of notable entrants from this year’s crop to watch on YouTube:
Tesco’s No Naughty List: Tesco leans into just how horrific the year 2020 has been by reassuring us that whatever our sins, there’s nothing to worry about, as Santa hasn’t blacklisted any of us this year.
TK Maxx’s The Lil’ Goat: A goat wearing a jaunty beret and hot pink sweater frolics happily on ice as the farmer’s wife looks on, wondering where her own special present might be.
Aldi’s Christmas Launch Advert 2020: Since 2016, the discount supermarket chain has used the cute, animated veggie known as Kevin the Carrot as the lead actor in its holiday tales. Scenes reminiscent of various blockbuster movies provide the backdrop to this year’s drama of whether or not Kevin will make it back home in time for the carrot family’s Christmas dinner.
Don’t Let Me Go: A singer-songwriter by the name of Sam Clegg released this homemade musical commercial as an alternative to retailer John Lewis’s annual big spend on its ad. This tale of a senior trying to cope with the disappearance of his beloved Staffordshire terrier embodies the loss so many are dealing with this year. The idea behind the ad is that 100% of the proceeds of the purchase of the song at a cost of .79 pounds through Amazon or iTunes will benefit charities working to combat loneliness.
Coca Cola Christmas Commercial 2020: When a daughter entrusts her Dad with her letter to Santa Claus, he braves stormy seas, high cliffs and the frozen tundra to hand deliver her missive. When her Christmas wish is revealed, it turns out to be not so far off from what many a military child wants at this time of year: a parent who is home for Christmas.
Merry Christmas, one and all!
