The RetailWire Christmas Commercial Challenge Goes Global – The Finals
Thirteen spots from retailers outside of the U.S. have been served up for your review over the past month. Now it’s time to pick the winner of year one of the RetailWire Christmas Commercial Challenge.
The previous weeks’ winners were:
- “Mog’s Christmas Calamity” from Sainsbury’s;
- “Adventures in Christmas” from Marks & Spencer;
- “The Lidl School of Christmas” from Lidl;
- “What Makes Your Christmas” from Waitrose; and
- “Jingle Bells” from The Body Shop.
Which spot will be the winner? Cast your vote in our Instant Poll and we’ll see.
Mog’s Christmas Calamity – Sainsbury’s/YouTube
Adventures in Christmas – Marks & Spencer/YouTube
The Lidl School of Christmas – Lidl/YouTube
BrainTrust
Steve Montgomery
President, b2b Solutions, LLC
James Tenser
Retail Tech Marketing Strategist | B2B Expert Storytelling™ Guru | President, VSN Media LLC
Naomi K. Shapiro
Strategic Market Communications, Upstream Commerce
Discussion Questions
What is your critique of the commercials that have made it to the finals of the global version of the RetailWire Christmas Commercial Challenge? Which one do you think is the best?
Love the Body Shop ad!
My pick is Jingle Bells from The Body Shop. Let you know what the brand was at the outset, showed happy people using their products, utilized a well-known Christmas song and humor. Closed with a charity tie-in.
The Body Shop wins. Their spot is true to the core story of the brand, and they do it with good humor and a donation to a cause.
I’ll double down on my earlier vote: The Body Shop!
Marks and Spencer — highlighting the good reinforces the brand.
The Body Shop gets my final vote. But the so-perfectly-British Lidl School of Christmas ad really tickles my fancy, too.
“Mog’s Christmas Calamity” is creative and in the spirit of Christmas! Great job!!!
This is a pretty impressive batch of adverts. As a bit of cinema for grown-ups, the Body Shop is my top pick. Marx & Spencer succeeds best at elevating food visuals to an unattainable luscious level. But I think the Waitrose ad succeeds best at encouraging consumption while upholding the holiday spirit.
The Body Shop hits it on all cylinders!
“Mog’s Christmas Calamity” is a real no-no. Playing with fire, literally, is a terrible take on a serious subject. Presenting a calamity is a no-starter, unsalvaged by the end result of neighbors coming together.
The others: Delightful and foodworthy. Great music, images, and concepts.
PS: Are Brussels sprouts (in at least two of the commercials) a holiday special in the UK?
All of these are excellent. I especially loved the yummy food depicted in Marks & Spencer as well as Waitrose. They were both true to their brands and reminded us not to make food an after-thought. Plus the food was sooo well done, visually.
But, the big winner was … The Body Shop! The spot was fresh, fun, true to the brand and yes, “cheeky.” That is what made it great!
And that’s my 2 cents.