adobo Picks: Rounding Up the Ads that Gives Us that Christmas Feels with Jumpers, Holiday Carols, Dragons, and... Cardi B?

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – It’s that time of the year again, when the Christmas spirit grows stronger, dominating perhaps almost every single area of our lives – ads included of course. To help uplift the spirit even more, we’ve come up with a list of our favorite Christmas campaigns around the globe.

#GoJumpers by M&S

The second House of Pain’s Jump Around plays, Marks & Spencers’ #GoJumpers for Christmas already set itself as a refreshing piece of advertising than the usual cozy and warm format for Christmas. Setting a different mood to get everyone on their feet and dance it out, M&S breaks off of the conventional by inserting hip-hop onto every frame of the ad—at the same time showcasing their sweaters and scarves in a minute of fun and upbeat jumping. This campaign, without a doubt, will get you dancing.

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Gift It Forward: A Cardi Carol by Pepsi

Cardi B stars as herself in a spiteful attempt to replace Santa Claus. The ad opens in a classic storybook-style tale of a young Cardi not receiving a gift from Santa for being naughty. But being naughty and nice is what makes her herself, so she swore to give everyone gifts which comes in the form of a Pepsi Gift of Cash. Very much like the Father Christmas’ workshop in the North Pole, Cardi B had her own twerk shop where the Pepsi cans are manufactured. The merry elves thumped and jumped to the tune of Here comes Cardi B, not Santa Claus.

Tesco Delivers Christmas

Sleighs are out and Tesco delivery trucks are in the latest campaign of Tesco to bring Christmas into every family’s dinner table. During his last shift before Christmas, a Tesco delivery guy gets caught in a tangle of lights and gets zapped into different locations and timelines of Tesco’s hundred years of #DeliveringChristmas. Granted access to time travel, he goes through different decades, even making a pit stop at the Buckingham Palace and in a Bull eye’s game all in one night. The charming and festive advert closes as his time travel eventually ends with his van taking him home to his family.

Edgar the Dragon by John Lewis & Partners, and Waitrose & Partners

Inclusion is at the heart of the much-awaited Christmas advert of John Lewis. The advert tells the story of a young dragon named Edgar, who never fit in with the rest of the kids because of his fire-breathing tendency. He is just as excited for Christmas as every other kid, except that he melts the snowman and the ice rink and flares up the boughs and Christmas tree when he is in glee.

Edgar goes into hiding because of shame until his friend, Ava, gives him a gift, something he can fire grill to make peace with everyone in the village and earn his acceptance.

All Mariah Carey wants this Christmas by Walkers

Mariah Carey is known for many things, but her rendition of “All I Want for Christmas is You” seems to have taken a life of its own. While the diva is a firm believer that Christmas is the season of sharing, she has her reservations especially when it comes to Walkers Crisps. The latter–which boasts of its tagline: “Too good to share” is caught in a tug of war between the singer and an elf. Winning the tugging her way, Mariah belts out a whistle that left the elf no choice but to let go of the crisps.

Holiday — The Surprise by Apple

Christmas ads are notorious for being heartwarming and this one does not go amiss. Set to the soundtrack, “Married Life”, from Pixar’s Up, the advert draws a picture of a seemingly mundane visit of a family to their grandpa. Much to the dismay of the mum, their presence was not enough to cheer up grandpa, as he has been widowed recently. His two grandchildren notice this, especially after seeing an old footage of his wedding day.

The kids continue being rowdy, refusing to go to bed, running around the house, all leading up to an early Christmas morning surprise for their grandpa. They gift him with a virtual storybook they made themselves with the nifty help of an iPad—telling their family’s story and making their grandpa’s Holiday.

Share Your Favorite Things by Frito-Lay

Rodgers’ and Hammerstein’s “My Favorite Things” perfectly qualifies for a merry Christmas tune but add Pitch Perfect Star Anna Kendrick and you have a Frito-Lay anthem for Christmas. The advert changes the lyrics of the Sound of Music song to tailor-fit Kendrick’s favorite snacks: Scooping Tostitos with salsa and queso, Lays and Doritos if I have my say so. The well-loved actress stays and sings for a full two-minute spot into a feast of the brand’s offerings instead of highlighting one particular product. This same move was what made their Superbowl ad, starring Peter Dinklage and Morgan Freeman, remarkable.

Come Together by Levi’s

Working overseas is a plight that almost every Filipino family knows and this was well captured in Levi’s Christmas ad. It opens with a young man named Chan packing his luggage and telling his mom he has to travel abroad for work; he then says goodbye to his brother who commented that his denim jacket was oddly familiar.

Chan wanders on the streets of Hong Kong and eventually locates his father who he has not seen for years. The two reunite in an embrace and reveal that the jacket was passed on from father to son, tugging on the heartstrings of those who cannot be with their families on Christmas.

Nicholas Sweep by Sainsbury’s

Ever wonder how Santa became Father Christmas? Sainsbury’s Christmas advert answers just this as they show 1869 London, the origin of the store. Nicholas, a young boy who works as a chimney sweep, picks up a clementine dropped by a thief, and is accused of stealing it. He was banished from the town as a punishment; but was rescued by Mrs. Sainsbury who witnessed the entire incident. She gives Nicholas a sackful of Clementines, but he reluctantly accepts because he cannot pay for them. She simply answers him, “If you can’t do something special for Christmas, when can you?”

Nicholas sneaks into the town at night and drops a piece of clementine into each chimney sweep’s socks, making it the first ever night Santa Claus gave presents to nice kids.

Gift the Thought by GAP

Gap’s advert is a nostalgic one. Telling the story of a mom and her son, Gift the Thought is a montage of growing up with the iconic GAP hoodie; from playing with pets, having a girlfriend, riding a skateboard, and eventually growing out of it as he becomes a young man. The mom thanks her son for being there all along by giving him a new hoodie he can make new memories wearing.