Okay, I admit that it’s only really when the Coca Cola ad comes on that we get out the tinsel, but last night I stumbled across the M&S Magic and Sparkle campaign for this year and have to admit that my 6 year old self resurfaced again as lead actress Rosie Huntingdon flitted between different fairytale sequences such as Alice in Wonderland, Arabian Nights and The Wizard of Oz. An appearance from Helena Bonham Carter as the wizard also made me smile as I was sipping my (Waitrose Essentials… not quite M&S) hot chocolate. Whilst there may be debating over whether it’s just hyped up consumerism, these adverts add to the magic of Christmas, and although good ol' Cola takes the crown, I've been rather impressed by the kitschy storytelling from the great British department stores. Side-stepping the throwing-ins of unnecessary products that scream “come and buy this!” the storylines are simply charming and enough to make any Scrooge’s heart melt.
First up, M&S 2013. I love the children's play feel to it, with shadow puppets, light up roads and the heaps of colour in this sequence.
This has been one of my favourite adverts for some time now. Utterly sweet.
If only wrapping presents was that simple...
John Lewis does it again :-)
And just because it's Cola:
And just because it's Cola: