'Twas two weeks before Christmas (ish)...

'Twas two weeks until Christmas, give or take a day,

And in each and every store, were Christmas Displays.

The Christmas Puddings were stocked on all the shelves,

And lights lined the isles, with little jingle bells.

The ads were playing, each one on repeat,

But people were worried to turn on the heat.

There loomed a dark shadow over their heads,

The bills that piled up and filled them with dread.

This morning, I stumbled upon Lynne Stainthorpe 's post about 凯度 's research into this year's Christmas Ads. Now, being obsessed with Christmas I instantly opened the post and began reading.

I was instantly satisfied with the findings, as an avid lover of the John Lewis & Partners Christmas Ads, I was delighted to find that audiences found 'The Beginner' the most enjoyable.

But as I read down the page, my joy was dispersed.

Stainthorpe commented 'the Co-op didn't do a Christmas ad.' She explained, 'they have put the budget into a new partnership with Your Local Pantry to support over 32,000 households over the next three years.'

Despite Aldi UK 's nostalgic 'Kevin the Carrot Home Alone' ad, I haven't worn a bigger smile than reading that statement.

Despite John Lewis' ad 'The Beginner', I haven't felt such a strong sense of warmth.

And despite Sam Teale 's beautiful, tear jerking, 'The Go Kart' ad, I haven't felt such a compelling and instant urge to help those in need - until seeing that statement.

These Christmas Ads that we have grown accustomed to seeing every year bring so much joy, but at what cost?

Christmas, 2013, the media went crazy! John Lewis & Partners had released their Christmas Advert, my all-time favourite, 'The Bear and The Hare.'

Each year I re-watch this Christmas Ad and it never fails to awaken the Christmas spirit. The advert is so magical and has such a beautiful message - as the hare wakes the bear from their hibernation to witness Christmas day.

But the media were in a frenzy. Newspapers reported the advert cost ￡1,000,000! Of course, John Lewis' marketing campaign paid off, as the Guardian reported,

"On the 2nd of January 2014?BBC News ?reported that in the five weeks to the 28th of December 2013 sales at John Lewis rose by 1.2% with online sales increasing by nearly 23% resulting in sales that totalled ￡734m."

But despite the shock over the ￡1m of production costs, John Lewis spent an estimated figure of ￡7,000,000 in total - including ￡6m for TV airtime, and ￡1m on supporting media coverage.

￡8,000,000 spent on the Christmas advert for one company in 2013.

And yet even a company as big as John Lewis, the pinnacle of Christmas shopping, has been affected by the rising cost this year. They made cost conscious decisions to shoot in the UK, as the Sun surmises, they used "British actors and not big name celebs and the song artist is a relatively unknown US singer."

However, the total cost is still estimated around the ￡5,000,000 mark.

It begs the question, is this the best use of money with the current cost-of-living crisis?

The truth is, there is no right answer to this question. Ultimately, there are two ways in which we can choose to answer.

1. Yes, the money used in Christmas Advertising helps our overall economy.
2. No, larger Companies do not need the extra advertising and should put the budget into charitable donations - as Co-op have done.

On one hand, the advertising significantly increases sales. This ensures that large companies, like John Lewis, can keep on and recruit staff. Of course, this is a compelling benefit after large companies such as Meta and Amazon are expected to lay off over 20,000 employees. Ultimately, the money in which these adverts cost, is worth it when considering the income they entice.

Although, it's imperative to understand that the public will still shop at these supermarkets and retailers on reputation alone - without the expensive advertising campaigns. As we enter a recession, the money in which these companies have used on advertising could have been used in more effective ways. It is one thing to advertise the need for deals in hard times, or bringing awareness to those struggling, but what are these companies actually doing?

Whereas, Co-op have made their most successful marketing campaign yet - not doing a Christmas ad. Ironic, but effective.

All headlines point to Co-op, as the media report 'Big Budget Christmas Ads are a turn off says Brits - as Co-op spends ￡19m on good causes instead.' - The Daily Mail .

I certainly found their charity a compelling reason to shop at Co-op this festive season.

Not only have they actively helped local communities deal with the rising cost of living, they have advertised their business. Unlike other stores who have bought awareness to issues, without actively attempting to solve them.

And so, it would seem that the use of an expensive Christmas advert is not beneficial to stores or the public - despite my love for them.

But maybe that's the point. With life so hard for many people at this time of year, perhaps we need an escape. And that is what ads such as Aldi UK , 特易购公司 , Sainsbury's , Asda and 马莎百货 s do for us, they introduce the festive season.

Therefore, I invite you to share your thoughts. Post about it, comment or message me. What do you think of the Christmas ads this year? Are they worth the money used to finance them? As Christmas comes closer, are you feeling in the charitable mood? Or do you need these ads as a festive reprieve from the everyday grind?

Let me know!