Art of Advent Day 3

By Millie Barker

Promotional still from the Wallace & Gromit x Barbour Campaign. 2025.

Image courtesy of Barbour UK.

Early November saw Christmas adverts playing across our televisions, or more likely popping up on our Instagram feeds. This year many familiar characters returned, including Aldi’s Kevin the Carrot in a romantic nod to Love Actually. Similarly, Wallace and Gromit collaborated with Barbour in an entertaining advert that featured eccentric inventions and the gift of the classic Barbour tartan scarf. The Big Friendly Giant made a feature and saved Christmas dinner in Sainsbury’s retail push, while the Grinch took a festive shopping trip to Asda and his sour mood was sweetened at the affordable prices on offer. Even Puss in Boots went to Boots for a last-minute Christmas gift. These careful animations create entertaining short films that bridge the fantastical world of imagined characters versus the reality of our grocery shop – bringing festive whimsy to life. Other adverts released by John Lewis, Tesco, and Morrisons looked to centre the shared humanity of Christmas – from highlighting the realities of family arguments, the care and attention worked into creating Christmas, and the small acts of kindness that can bring us together.

While enjoyable works of cinema, the adverts pose an interesting contradiction - the notions of love and connection versus the blatant reality of consumerism in this festive period. Indeed, as advertisers are set to spend a total of £12 billion during the golden quarter, one questions the meaningful sentiment behind the campaigns. Nevertheless, it is always fun to see which retailer pulls out all the stops in what has become the latest festive blockbuster.

Bibliography

Advertising Association. “The Advertising Association/ WARC Expenditure Report.” 2025. https://adassoc.org.uk/advertising-spend/.