Campaign Critique

Christmas Advert Review 2025  – This article analyses the successes and failures of Christmas campaigns from the biggest companies in Britain. Christmas has become the most important and biggest marketing opportunity of the year with the adverts and campaigns becoming a huge competition between companies.

Millions eagerly await the release of the Christmas adverts from companies such as John Lewis and Aldi who have built a reputation and a fanbase for their adverts. For them this is the greatest opportunity of the year, however not every company succeeds.

     

Aldi: 7/10

This advert celebrates 10 years of Kevin the Carrot featuring in the Aldi Christmas advert. To celebrate this special occasion, we follow the wedding of Kevin and Katie. It is certainly an enjoyable watch and has the typical hidden jokes however does it have quite the same effect as previous years that featured movie crossovers? Perhaps not. 7.

Argos: 8/10

Connie and Trevor are back for another year, this time joined by Simon Bird. This is the perfect combination of humour whist advertising the Christmas product range. Finishes with a relatable and heartwarming Christmas morning scene. 8.

Asda: 7/10

In recent years Asda have collaborated with Elf and Michael Bublé and this year it was the turn of the Grinch. The Grinch, but with a twist, a northern, singing Grinch. Whilst this is a fun advert and does showcase what Asda has to offer at Christmas, changing a well-known character could backfire. Focusing on the issue of how expensive Christmas has become and showing the discounts available at Asda is a very strong marketing tactic. The idea was to paint the dad as the Grinch for being tight around Christmas. For me, I like the idea, there’s good promotion of goods and the line of Asda x Grinch products is an inspired idea, however the change of the Grinch we all know and love doesn’t quite work for me. 7.

Barbour: 10/10

I didn’t want to give any of these adverts a 10 rating, but this advert gives me no reason to take off any points. When you think of Christmas you think of nostalgia, this advert provides just that in bucketloads. Promotes the products really well, seamlessly fitting into the story. No notes. 10.

Boots: 5.5/10

The idea of Puss in Boots is a brilliant pun and certainly memorable, however the advert lacks a smooth flow and the trip to the Boots store feels somewhat forced. Definitely not the strongest year for Boots. 5.5.

Burberry: 4.5/10

You certainly get the luxury feel of the brand in this advert. I really enjoyed the use of the cameras to give a nostalgic Christmas feel. However, there is no real story to this advert and the product promotion definitely feels forced and out of place. There are plenty of celebrity appearances but ultimately this advert can’t compete with other Christmas adverts. 4.

Debenhams: 3/10

Debenhams went early this year and went for the “start Christmas early” approach. The advert follows a Christmas parade showing the audience that the Christmas magic of Debenhams can turn up at your doorstop. Despite this, the advert lacks that true Christmas feel and the unnecessary edition of celebrities takes away from what the advert is meant to be about. Just feels very lost. 3.

Disney: 8/10

This advert isn’t overly Christmassy but there is a strong sense of Christmas spirit throughout. It’s a brilliant story and very much a Disney story. The use of the iconic ‘You’ve Got A Friend In Me’ throughout is a great idea and instantly connects the audience to the advert. Brilliant Advert. 9.

EE: 6/10

This advert captures the magic of communication. We see the use of the EE broadband to help cope with the chaos that Christmas Day brings. The sign language shows how communication can connect us all. Feels incredibly festive not only for the hectic gatherings but the communication between families. 6.

John Lewis: 9/10

The John Lewis Christmas advert has become an iconic British moment every year. In the last couple of years, they perhaps haven’t reached the heights that they’ve set themselves but this year they certainly delivered. The heart-warming story of a father and son who aren’t as connected as they once were, connecting through a Christmas present. The connection of music to a specific memory is also extremely powerful and relatable for a large number of audience members. Seeing the son and dad’s relationship over the years through the song provides the traditional John Lewis tearjerker. The tagline ‘If you can’t find the words, find the gift’ perfectly demonstrates the relationship between many fathers and their teenage sons. 9.

Lego: 7/10

A good advert that focuses on connection and creativity. The Lego minifigures remind the brother who is stuck on technology of the fun of playing with your family and being creative. Not only does it perfectly tie in with the brand itself, but also the Christmas spirit. Very enjoyable but also perhaps not one that will be remembered in the years to come. 7.

Lidl: 8/10

The Lidl Christmas advert focuses on why we all love Christmas so much. The advert – which is narrated by a young girl – focuses on kindness and community. Telling this story from the point of view of a young girl allows the audience to see Christmas through the eyes of a child again. The line ‘I think every day has a lot to learn from Christmas’ has particular impact. Food doesn’t take a prominent role but does have its place in the advert. This may be due to the law on advertising high calorific foods brought into place this year. Despite this, it is a strong advert that encourages reflection. 8.

M&S Food: 9/10

Dawn French returns yet again and M&S Food deliver another brilliant Christmas Ad. Also hit with the new advertising regulations regarding certain foods, but M&S do not let that stop them from producing a brilliant advert. The use of the iconic ‘Driving Home for Christmas’ song by Chris Rea is a brilliant choice and pairs fantastically with the traffic jam scenario which most of the viewers would be able to relate to over the Christmas period. It is a very clever idea to use the M&S magic to entertain during the traffic jam. Nice advertising of the food and new range without being too in your face. Has its comedic moments with the hilarious Dawn French who plays both herself and the fairy. Ultimately it is a brilliant Christmas advert, and we have come to expect nothing less from M&S Food. 9.

Morrisons: 6.5/10

Morrisons provide a wholesome Christmas advert titled ‘A Year In The Making’ displaying the hard work that goes in throughout the year to make Christmas special and provide all the freshly prepared products available at Morrisons. It is a really thought-provoking advert that will definitely make the audience more appreciative of the effort that goes into providing fresh groceries on their doorstep. Despite this there isn’t a particularly strong Christmas feel throughout, and it is for that reason that it doesn’t compete with some of the more successful adverts this year. 6.5.

Sports Direct: 1/10

I don’t really have many words for this advert. It is a 20 second mess filled with sports starts and sporting products. There’s plenty of tinsel and a random snowman but this should act as the model for what a Christmas advert shouldn’t be. 1.

Tesco: 8/10

This year instead of a longer festive advert, Tesco opted for a range of shorts. I think this year, it was the right decision to convey the message they wanted to convey however it should revert back to a longer advert in the future. Whilst it could be argued that these shorts are not overly festive, I personally believe that it encapsulates what Christmas is about and all the experiences we have over the Christmas period. Travelling home from university, writing Christmas cards, buying secret Santa gifts for colleagues etc… each of these are things that we as a general public experience every year. These shorts are so relatable, and it makes Tesco as a company feel more relatable. In a year affected by changes to advertisement of high calorie foods, Tesco have offered a really enjoyable set of Christmas shorts. 8.

Sainsbury’s: 8.5/10

Sainsbury’s have collaborated with the BFG yet again to launch their Christmas 2025 advertising campaign. In a fun advert we see the promotion of Sainsbury’s home delivery, providing the products we most need. This is such a brilliant idea for a Christmas advert and to tie it in with the BFG and his even giant friend is genius. It advertises some of the amazing festive food on offer without breaching the new regulations. The BFG is a british icon and is perfect for this advert, as he was last year, him joining them for Christmas dinner is the perfect ending. Really enjoyable.

Waitrose: 10/10

This almost felt like a mini movie. Was like a classic Christmas rom-com that perfectly encapsulated the fun and love around Christmas filled with plenty of comedy and more importantly all focused around food, specifically the food on offer at Waitrose. As I have mentioned previously, the new legislation regarding the advertising of high calorific products before the watershed meant that many Christmas delicacies were unable to be advertised. With this in mind, the way that Waitrose have used food as the centre of their story is admirable. The idea that food and cooking for people is love, those family recipes passed through generations that have that special meaning. It is a fantastic advert, great idea, great execution. Having Kiera Knightly as the star is an added bonus in what is a brilliant advert. 10.

1	Waitrose	10/10
2	Barbour	10/10
3	M&S Food	9/10
4	John Lewis	9/10
5	Sainsbury’s	8.5/10
6	Tesco	8/10
7	Lidl	8/10
8	Disney	8/10
9	Argos	8/10
10	Asda	7/10
11	Aldi	7/10
12	Lego	7/10
13	Morrisons	6.5/10
14	EE	6/10
15	Boots	5.5/10
16	Burberry	4.5/10
17	Debenhams	3/10
18	Sports Direct	1/10