7 Best Christmas Campaigns Of 2024

Every holiday season we’re ready to open our hearts for the best storytelling of the year. Kitcast collected the best Christmas marketing campaigns of 2024 for boosting your holiday mood. Tearjerkers, animated masterpieces and moving stories are there. Here are the most touching Christmas ads in 2024.

1. The Gifting Hour – John Lewis

Why: John Lewis is at it again. The British retailer delivers yet another classic Christmas marketing campaign with “The Gifting Hour.” Created by Saatchi & Saatchi, it tells a phantasmagoric story of a woman who looks for a perfect gift for her sister. Retailer’s Oxford Street store in London serves as a backdrop for all the action.

In a true Narnia wardrobe-that-takes-you-somewhere-else fashion, the protagonist keeps opening doors to the past. There she sees her sister in the different moments of her life. This time-travel element makes the Christmas ad more heartwarming and touching. The commercial ends with “The secret to finding the perfect gift? Knowing where to look.”

The song “Sonnet” by British musician Richard Ashcroft (a frontman of The Verve that gave us “Bitter Sweet Symphony”) serves as a soundtrack. It’s a good touch for British audiences as Ashcroft has been recently announced as a supporting act for the long-awaited Oasis reunion tour.?

John Lewis wanted to make this Christmas marketing campaign relatable.?

“We’ve not presented a relationship as perfect, because there are ups and downs, especially with somebody that you’ve probably known for 25 years,” says the company’s chief customer officer Charlotte Lock. “There’s tension, there’s joy, and there’s heartache and grief and all of those things that combine to make your relationship special. We’re saying that’s where to look, make it personal, make it meaningful.”

2. Holiday Road – Coca-Cola

Why: this may look like a classic holiday ad from Coca-Cola, but the context matters. The beverage giant got into hot water for unveiling a fully AI-generated “Holidays are coming” commercial earlier in November.

Here it is:?

The response from the general public was swift and unapologetic. Creatives started expressing strong opinions about the company’s stance on generative AI. YouTube comments under the video are full of users slamming the brand for resorting to artificial intelligence.?

But Coca-Cola seems to double down on its AI commitment even though consumers clearly voiced their frustration with such a direction.?

“The Coca-Cola Company has celebrated a long history of capturing the magic of the holidays in content, film, events and retail activations for decades around the globe. We are always exploring new ways to connect with consumers and experiment with different approaches. This year, we crafted films through a collaboration of human storytellers and the power of generative AI. Coca-Cola will always remain dedicated to creating the highest level of work at the intersection of human creativity and technology,” the official statement from the company said.

Still, to be safe, the beverage brand released another Christmas marketing campaign called “Holiday Road” that features real people. The video tells the story of a boy taking a long road across the country to see his family on Christmas. People loved it. We loved it too.

3. Sainsbury’s BIG Christmas – Sainsbury’s

Why: Here is the bronze of our TOP of Christmas marketing campaigns. British retailer Sainsbury’s takes a collaborative approach to craft its Christmas marketing campaign in 2024. Produced by New Commercial Arts, the ad features a lovely giant BFG from the magical lore of the British author Roald Dahl (Matilda, The Witches, Fantastic Mr Fox).

The mini-animated film is a safe play by Sainsbury’s to bring the classical festive atmosphere through the well-known IP.?

“The Big Friendly Giant meets the Big Friendly Grocer – two fabric of the nation brands, bringing the magic of Christmas home to families,” describes the campaign Ian Heartfield, CCO and partner of New Commercial Arts.

4. Helping Feed Your Christmas Spirit – Tesco

Why: Tesco follows Sainsbury’s and releases a classic holiday atmosphere-inducing Christmas marketing campaign that doesn’t have any controversy. All it has is gingerbread. Lots of gingerbread.

It’s a tale of loss, humanity and family told in a fantasy manner. The main hero of the video, Gary, tries to overcome the feeling of sadness from losing his grandmother. As they used to bake gingerbread together, the world around Gary turns into gingerbread as he walks.

“We appreciate that even if you love Christmas, there can be little things that eat away at your Christmas spirit as well as things that help to feed it. We’re here to top up your Christmas spirit wherever we can,” commented Tesco Group Customer Director Becky Brock about the video.

The campaign has a nostalgic “On Melancholy Hill” by The Gorillaz in the background and it unlocks memories for sure.

5. Get into the Christmas Spirit with Kevin The Carrot – Aldi

Why: if it’s Christmas, Kevin The Carrot will be there to cheer everyone up. Year after year Aldi delivers amazing animated stories featuring the beloved veggie hero. It’s his ninth appearance for the retailer’s holiday ads. This time it’s an action movie in the style of Mission Impossible.

The Christmas Spirit is stolen. Santa needs Kevin’s help to restore it. Carrot superstar takes his wife, Katie, and embarks on an adventure to make this Christmas more enjoyable for everyone. It’s a delight to watch.?

“Would it even be Christmas without Kevin the Carrot on our screens? We’re delighted to bring back everyone’s favorite carrot for a ninth year to help the nation get into the Christmas spirit,” said Jemma Townsend, marketing director at Aldi UK.

6. Gnome of Christmas – Asda

Why: although it’s the same story over and over, it’s hard to resist the charms of this “saving Christmas spirit” ad from British retailer Asda. The video is brilliantly done and features gnomes. Yes, the porcelain underdogs take the central stage with their effort to help two Asda employees decorate the store for Christmas.

All of the action is poignantly set to The A-Team theme. In the end, we also hear Chris Rea’s “Driving Home for Christmas” (Asda seriously invested in music royalties in 2024).

“This year, we wanted to create something which felt completely unique to Asda,” Havas London CCO Vicki Maguire said about the campaign. “We took inspiration from a much-loved existing Asda product—gnomes. Fans wait for the latest gnome characters to come into the store, and people proudly place them in their gardens and homes. Some even give them names.”

7. Midnight Opus – Amazon

Why: Here is the last of the best Christmas marketing campaigns. Amazon chooses powerful storytelling for its Christmas ad in 2024. A music theater janitor is humming the 1965 song “What the World Needs Now Is Love” by Hal David and Burt Bacharach. It turns out that he’s been a stage singer in his youth.

To make a special gift to the man on Christmas, the theater employees choose to surprise the janitor by organizing his performance.

The video is all about the everyday acts of kindness.