Television has been, is and will undoubtedly remain one of the most important media channels in the future. In the pre-Christmas period, when brands are competing for consumers’ pozorností, TV’s advantage is even more pronounced. Television stands out for the high level of attention paid to advertising — unlike social networks, which are overflowing with advertising messages that may be displayed, but receive only minimal attention from users who are constantly scrolling and tend to avoid adverts rather than engage with them.
On television, by contrast, advertising is an expected and tolerated part of the programme. Television broadcasting has a long-standing tradition of advertising breaks, which viewers have naturally accepted as a normal part of the service. What is more, in the run-up to Christmas, watching television adverts is an established cultural ritual. People look forward to the adverts, evaluate them, comment on them and share them. Brands are well aware of this, which is why they usually deploy high-quality, film-like spots on linear television, offering elaborate stories and evoking deep emotions. Below you will find a selection of more of this year’s Christmas adverts. So how are brands doing this year?
Christmas campaigns by global brands
British premium supermarket chain Waitrose has opted for the theme of love and released an emotional short film entitled The Perfect Gift. In it, Keira Knightley plays herself, while Joe Wilkinson reprises his role as Phil from the 2024 advert. In this four-minute festive spot, Phil falls in love with Keira, whom he happens to bump into while shopping — and where else but in Waitrose!
Video: Waitrose – The Perfect Gift
Disney’s Christmas advert, entitled Best Christmas Ever, tells the story of a little girl who wishes at Christmas that her imaginary scribbled friend, Doodle, were real. And indeed, when the time comes to unwrap the presents, Doodle comes to life. There is just one problem. She forgot to draw him a mouth! Poor Doodle has to wait until the following Christmas before he can finally speak — but the wait is worth it. When he finally does speak, he has the voice of famous American actor John Goodman.
Video: Disney – Holiday Short: Best Christmas Ever
Aldi, the international discount supermarket chain focusing on food and essential consumer goods, has so far released two of the three parts of this year’s Christmas campaign, revealing part of a rather chaotic pre-wedding saga involving Kevin the Carrot, the brand’s mascot, who has been scoring points in Aldi adverts since 2016. The romantic advert, created by McCann Manchester, marks Kevin’s 10th anniversary with a cinematic love story unfolding across three episodes. In the first part, entitled What’s on the Cards for Kevin the Carrot This Christmas?, Kevin proposes to his love, Katie, with the help of cards inspired by the film Love Actually. He is assisted by his canine friend Cauli Dog.
Video: Aldi Christmas Advert, Part 1
The second part follows Kevin and Katie’s stag and hen celebrations. Kevin’s party, however, quickly turns into a disaster. The groom-to-be gets stranded at the North Pole in his swimming trunks, while Katie enjoys a peaceful spa break, completely unaware of the chaos unfolding elsewhere. Luckily, the Polar Express happens to be passing by. Julie Ashfield, Chief Commercial Officer at Aldi UK, said that the retailer was “thrilled to unveil the next chapter in Kevin and Katie’s festive love story” and described the campaign as “packed with pure Christmas cheer, a dash of cheekiness and all the heart our fans have come to expect”.
Video: Aldi Christmas Advert, Part 2
The third and final episode brings the whole story to a close:
Video: Aldi Christmas Advert, Part 3
Tesco decided to remind us through its Christmas campaign that although we love Christmas, it is never perfect — and that is perfectly all right. It does so through scenes featuring slightly awkward moments of the kind that sometimes happen in families during the festive season. Let anyone who has never had a Christmas squabble cast the first stone! Fortunately, the narrator, played by John Bishop, explains that these little imperfections are exactly what makes it Christmas.
Video: Tesco – That’s What Makes It Christmas
This year, Asda has focused on affordable Christmas celebrations. The main character of the campaign is the Grinch, singing his own version of Let It Snow and proving that not even the biggest cynic can resist Asda’s favourable prices.
Video: Asda – A Very Merry Grinchmas
Christmas marketing on Czech television screens
The television adverts addressing Czech viewers from the big screen are visibly more restrained and nowhere near as emotional as their international competitors. That does not mean, however, that they lack ideas. For example, dm drogerie based this year’s Christmas campaign on research carried out with Ipsos, which shows that most Czechs consider face-to-face meetings to be the most important part of the Christmas holidays. dm’s campaign, entitled We Are Unique Thanks to Those Around Us, inspires greater human closeness and reminds us that what truly matters is belonging, connection and moments spent together.
Video: dm drogerie – Christmas Advert
Skip Pay, a brand focused on deferred payments, has in turn made use of the theme of unsuccessful gifts, giving the little girl in its advert a lawnmower instead of a pram for her doll. The faces of the campaign remain the mascots Brain and Heart, who have appeared in Skip Pay adverts since 2022.
Video: Skip Pay – You Don’t Want a Lawnmower Instead of a Pram
The unhappy little girl with the lawnmower is joined by a cyclist who unwraps a rocking horse instead of the bicycle he had been dreaming of:
Video: Skip Pay – You Don’t Want a Rocking Horse Instead of a Bike
Equally disappointed is a young woman who finds a bucket of “little gifts” she really did not want under the Christmas tree instead of the handbag she had been longing for.
Video: Skip Pay – You Don’t Want a Bucket Instead of a Handbag
And because the wave of Christmas campaigns is far from over, you can soon look forward to another batch of advertising spots. They aim to convince potential customers during the hectic pre-Christmas period that their particular brand can offer just the right combination of emotions, values and benefits worth bringing home — whether in the form of presents under the tree, food for the Christmas table or household equipment. What will the next international and Czech brands bet on?