As the holidays arrive,they also bring Christmas movies and commercials to our screens.

Brands pay special attention to the holiday season, as most of their annual spending is spent by people at this time, and marketers have nothing more important to do than to get them to do it with them. Some companies and brands see the Christmas campaign as an advertising campaign, so not only do they shoot commercials, they are also present on several platforms - radio, PR, CSR, online on social media and banners, billboards and citylights on the streets and roads. These different surfaces provide a variety of options and we can target different audiences, but their starting points are usually the commercial itself, the other appearances appeal to the fact that we saw the advertisement, so the message comes back to us from other surfaces as an old friend. That is why, in this article, we look at Christmas advertising in the classic sense, television advertising.

Christmas in 2021 is different than it has been so far, and while we know it was different last year, this year’s otherness has a positive overtone: we can be together again. While a year ago the world faced that 2020 would be the first Christmas in the lives of many of us, when we celebrate together less or not at all, and needed a number of tools and alternatives to make Christmas a place close by. Let’s remember (just remember what an opportunity many brands had for their Christmas campaign), until this year’s Christmas is about having a holiday for personal encounters, a big family again, this year, after last year’s difficulties, let’s be together, be happy, and - last but not least - buy, order, subscribe.

We can establish a good advertisement if we know exactly to whom, what and how we want to tell it. To sell a product, or to increase the popularity of our brand, all with reason, emotion, or moral influence. It can be stated that which direction can be the most profitable and which message will reach different destinations.

Christmas advertising needs to go beyond that. At the most emotional time of the year, companies need to consider that it is not necessarily the most effective way to sell a particular product, but rather that branding is what can bring success in the long run. For the most part, the latter is why big brands vote down year after year and create something that is more like a short film, and in some cases a storytelling-based work of art. In these commercials, of course, the brand itself appears, but instead of encouraging you to buy a selected product, you get a story that feeds on the values of that brand and captures one of the feelings and moods associated with Christmas and tries to identify it with itself. Togetherness, caring, paying attention, love, family, happiness - aren't we all seeing a jewelry brand, a chain of stores, a soft drink or chocolate brand, a telephone and an internet service provider?

As mentioned earlier, this year’s Christmas provided companies with fresh ammunition for their Christmas commercial, and most weren’t even afraid to take advantage of the opportunities. Every year (and in a way never seen before last year), the telecommunications sector is classically the one with the most body to connect their services to family, togetherness and belonging, which is why it is perhaps the most difficult for them to innovate in this genre. Think about it, with those we can’t celebrate with in person, how do we know we think about them, love them? We call them by phone, we make video calls on the Internet, all with the tools and channels provided by the company. This has been the case for a long time, so the baseline from which telecom marketers could work has been unchanged for a long time. This is why last year's pandemic gave a new impetus to this sector: fast internet, a reliable telephone line and the awareness that there is a way to coexist and celebrate together in such a difficult situation became especially important during the holidays.

For companies that don’t want to raise sales for a particular product during the holiday season, there are many ways to promote their brand. Most of them want to create touching moments, they do it by conveying a simple, heartfelt but socially important message, striking the above-mentioned chain of family-care-love, so that more and more heart-wise Christmas advertising every year are born. There are, of course, plenty who use the means of humor and present commonplace, well-known and experienced situations in a different guise, thus relieving the tension caused by the festive rush.

In December, a number of lists are written about the best Christmas commercials, with the headlines ‘this year’ or ‘all time’, so we also tried to make a more comprehensive collection of holiday commercials to be seen abroad and at home. The short collection below is highly subjective, with dozens of better Christmas ads flooding the market with dozens each year, making the list more fun than exhaustive.

Have fun and happy holidays!

BRANDER.hu

IKEA

The Swedish company has proven countless times that if there is a social issue on the table, they are certainly not afraid to express an opinion. Their voices are just as strong when it comes to humor. In their Christmas commercial of 2019, they voted for the latter.
› www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0EKS2YfLc0

JOHN LEWIS

Although the store is not present on the market in Hungary, many people still know its name, as for many it is intertwined with unforgettable Christmas advertisements: year after year, it is surrounded by huge anticipation, as John Lewis appears for the festive period. A 2019 ad was on the list, but any of them would stay here, it’s worth a look at them.
› www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xGW_M0O4xI

EDEKA

Perhaps the most touching Christmas advertisement ever made. The German food chain raises an important question as to whether we are devoting enough time to the family during rushing weekdays, or just, in this case, during the rushing Christmas period.
› www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6-0kYhqoRo

LIDL

Their advertising this year, while showcasing products, puts more emphasis on the message that the brand is valued and committed to quality, all with a lot of humor, which is the rarely used tool in Christmas advertising, but can be just as percussive as the our goal would be to cry.
› www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfexHlJ-BVU

SAINSBURY’S

The British store’s 2014 short film doesn’t have a Christmas tree, a line of lights, a festive lunch, but not even a reindeer wrapping paper, there’s only one gift: a chocolate. The company chose a bold and unexpected set that year: a 1914 World War II scene - but instead of a rifle, they show friendship and care. It's Christmas after all.
› www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWF2JBb1bvM

COCA COLA

The eternal classic. Anyone who has come across this ad in the 1990s (or later versions in the 2000s) has the concept of Coca Cola truck and Christmas merged. Many consider this advertisement to be the Alpha and Omega of Christmas commercials.
› www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogetBqMgau0