Christmas adverts 2017 from John Lewis and Tesco to M&S and Debenhams – and where to watch the Sainsbury’s ad
WHEN the Christmas adverts start to drop, you know the festive season is upon you.
Each year, retailers work tirelessly to come up with the best ad campaigns that will make them stand out against the crowd. Here's are the best offerings this year...
Which Christmas adverts have been released?
Lidl
Lidl's Christmas ads were released slightly earlier than last year.
There are actually three short separate commercials this year following different characters.
So far we've been introduced to the Cavalier Carver, The Mince Pie Maverick and the Double Dipper.
Argos
Argos also launched its Christmas ad campaign on Friday November 3.
In the 60-second clip, called 'Ready for Take-off', the retailer flaunts its commitment to speedy delivery and its Fast Track delivery service.
The commercial is set in a magical distribution centre, where a team of elves can be seen scrambling to get toys out to children in time for Christmas.
Toys R Us
Parents have been given plenty of time to think about what to get their kids this Chrimbo.
In Toys R Us' advert, we see Santa visit the store on his sleigh, with the story told using Pixar-esque animation.
Unfortunately, his trusty reindeer are distracted by all the goodies on offer at the toy superstar, throwing Christmas into jeopardy.
Luckily, Geoffrey the Giraffe (who runs the store) is on hand to step up and help Father Christmas complete his task.
Aldi
Forget Santa, this year Aldi's Kevin the Carrot only has eyes for Katie.
The spirited little root vegetable is the star of Aldi's Christmas advert for the second year running.
Last year, we followed his journey to meet Santa but now it's all about his quest for romance across a table full of festive grub.
The 60 second video is narrated by award-winning actor Jim Broadbent.
Aldi’s advert picks up with Kevin where we saw him last, as a snowman’s nose. He quickly becomes dislodged by the rumbling of an approaching train.
After jumping aboard, he spots Katie, and, for him at least, it's love at first sight.
And it seems Aldi's efforts have paid off, as the supermarket beat off competition to have their advert crowned this year's most popular offering, according to social media posts.
Data firm 4C compiled the study by analysing the amount of times the brand was discussed on Facebook and Twitter five minutes after it was aired.
Asda
For their advert this year, Asda has created a magical Christmas workshop, known as the Imaginarium.
It follows a grandfather and his granddaughter as they discover the supermarket's imaginary magical world.
From a giant pop-up Christmas cookbook revealing chefs preparing a roast turkey and Wagyu beef dripping potatoes, as well as a giant "gin laser", the ad is supposed to show the imaginative ways Asda is working to provide the best Christmas ever for its customers.
M&S
There had been a lot of speculation about the new advert, and it has now been revealed that Paddington Bear is the centre of attention for this year’s offering.
The 90-second ad sees Paddington happen across a burglar, dressed in red and toting a sack of stolen presents, who he mistakes for Father Christmas on the roof of his house.
Paddington then offers to help the unlikely 'Father Christmas' deliver his presents - with the thief eventually seeing the error of his ways.
The much-loved bear then offers the burglar one of his famous marmalade sandwiches in an act of kindness that brings a tear to the burglar's eye.
Debenhams
This year's campaign is a modern take on Charles Perrault’s classic 1697 fairy-tale, Cinderella.
The ad tells the tale of a young woman who loses her shoe on a crowded train and the handsome stranger who finds it.
It follows the quest of reuniting the lost slipper with the heroine and a number of near misses that take place along the way.
Audiences will also see a familiar Hollywood face, with a cameo appearance from Ewan McGregor, who plays a pivotal role in the fairytale ending.
Boots
The festive advert focuses on the journey of two sisters.
Throughout their lives, a Boots Christmas gift, given from one to the other, taps into their special bond.
The film flashes back at various shared moments during their life, with 11 different beauty products woven into their memories.
TK Maxx
TK MAxx's Christmas ad is here, and it's voiced by Bill Nighy!
In the commercial, we see a White Christmas come to life as a grandfather gifts his lucky granddaughter a snow globe.
As excitement grows, TK Maxx snow experts arrive to transform the house into a winter wonderland, complete with helicopter and snow bazookas, all watched on by the family dog.
The spot is soundtracked by a re-recorded festive version of pop-rock band Pilot's 1975 hit, Magic.
Sainsbury's
In a complete change of direction from the Christmas specials of recent years, Sainsbury's new campaign doesn't have a narrative.
The video is called, "Every Bit of Christmas" and instead celebrates the many ways that Brits spend the festive season.
The campaign centres around an upbeat but also quite annoying song, written by lyricist Ben “Doc Brown” Smith and composed by Mikis Michaelide.
And we can guarantee that it will be stuck in your head a long time after the end of the advert (although that's probably the point!).
Superdrug
One of Superdrug's festive adverts has been released - but only time will tell if the retailer will be unveiling more clips throughout the festive season.
The fun advert features Christmas parties, glitter beards and tonnes of the retailer's products.
It seems to be aimed at people of all ages and genders, showing that they have a wide variety of stock in store.
The video ends with the tagline: "Get something for everyone and treat yourself."
Very.co.uk
The Very.co.uk Christmas ad follows a little girl called Anna's desperate quest to hand out all of her Christmas gifts .
The generous girl enlists the help of her toy wolf called Ulfie to deliver her gift to Santa.
Anna gets caught in a blizzard and drops the present into the river and Ulfie dives in after it to be sure it reaches its destination.
The next thing the audience sees is the little girl waking up in her bedroom sad that she lost Ulfie.
But as she turns over, she sees that not only has she been given her own surprise glowing pink cube, but that it contains Ulfie, now with a patched-up ear.
Anna’s Christmas gift list has also been returned with Santa’s name crossed off, meaning he got his Christmas present after all.
John Lewis
Just like previous years, the John Lewis Christmas ad was released in the second week of November.
A teaser for the retailer's eagerly-awaited commercial revealed the identity of the advert's protagonist - Moz the Monster.
The £7m campaign was filmed by Oscar-winning director Michel Gondry and features Elbow’s cover of classic Beatles tune Golden Slumbers.
In the story, a seven-year-old boy called Joe befriends the furry figure after initially being scared of the large eyes peeping at him from under his bed.
But, in typical John Lewis style, there is a heart-wrenching finish.
Moz eventually realises that it is time for him to leave and the loveable monster is shown, under the bed, waving forlornly at his friend, eyes filled with tears.
Some Twitter users are convinced that a four-second-long trailer has something to do with the retail giant.
The short video clip is of a cute creature - or more accurately just the animal's eyes - looking for something in the dark with the hashtag #UnderTheBed.
Superdrug
One of Superdrug's festive adverts has been released - but only time will tell if the retailer will be unveiling more clips throughout the festive season.
The short video debuted on the retailer's YouTube channel, and focuses on gift giving.
The fun advert features Christmas parties, glitter beards and tonnes of the retailer's products.
It seems to be aimed at people of all ages and genders, showing that they have a wide variety of stock in store.
The video ends with the tagline: "Get something for everyone and treat yourself."
More Christmassy Reads
Which Christmas advert was the most popular in 2017?
According to social media lift from TV (those who took to Twitter and Facebook after it was aired), these were the most popular adverts this year, as found by data firm 4C...
- Aldi (152%)
- Boots (141%)
- Tesco (120%)
- Lidl (100%)
- Sainsbury’s (99%)
- Vodafone (77%)
- Coca-Cola (70%)
- Waitrose (70%)
- M&S (64%)
- John Lewis (54%)
In terms of sentimentality and "positive" social media postings, these adverts hit all the right notes for viewers...
- M&S (87.5%)
- Aldi (85.9%)
- Boots (81.9%)
- Apple (80.5%)
- Waitrose (78.1%)
- John Lewis (71.2%)
- Sainsbury’s (71.1%)
- Coca-Cola (68.9%)
- Tesco (63.6%)
- Lidl (63.5%)
Find Marks & Spencer discount and offer codes with The Sun Vouchers