You may have started noticing little elves around the streets, or perhaps you have heard the hooves of a reindeer practicing on the rooftops for its most important journey of the year, or maybe you have seen mistletoe sprouting in the most unexpected places… However, even if you have not yet witnessed any of these magical signs, there is one element that surely must have alerted you to the season we are in: Christmas campaigns!
I, for my part, have certainly researched and watched these attentively. That is why, once again this year, I am taking on the role of Minister of Christmas at Marketing4eCommerce to share with you my selection of the best Christmas advertising campaigns of 2025.
This year, I am awarding the gold to the touching story conceived by the French supermarket chain Intermarché. The campaign, titled “Conte de Noël” (Christmas Tale), depicts an uncle who gives his nephew a wolf stuffed toy. Upon seeing the child’s fear of the animal, he begins to tell him a story. The fable is about a wolf who feels alone because the other creatures in the forest fear him, prompting him to decide to stop eating meat.
The piece weaves an endearing narrative, comprised of both heartwarming and humorous moments, in which the fresh foods available at Intermarché are naturally integrated, ensuring that the brand does not overshadow the story. The agency Romance was responsible for creating the campaign, alongside the production company Divine and the animation studio Wizz.
This ad has been widely discussed on social media because it brings together two generations that are far apart in age but not so far apart in sentiment.
It shows a family on Christmas morning. The father of the family sees a gift for him under the tree and, before opening it, we see his son leave the living room, clearly nervous because the gift is from him. When the father opens the gift, he sees a vinyl record of the 90s song “Where Love Lies” and looks for his son, but cannot find him. When he starts listening to it, the man is automatically transported back to his youth, dancing to that song in pubs and nightclubs. In the middle of that flashback, he sees his son, first as the adult he is now becoming, and then as the child he once was, when they were closer.
When he returns to the present, he sees his son approaching, hugs him, and tries to dance with him to the music that was so important in his youth. This ad from the British department store shows us that sometimes details are worth more than words.
If there is one thing Disney excels at, it is reaching our hearts. Last year, Disney demonstrated this with its Christmas campaign “The Boy & The Octopus” and this year they once again succeed in conveying great tenderness with their spot “The Best Christmases”. An interesting fact: both pieces were directed by Taika Waititi.
The spot tells the story of Santa Claus misinterpreting a girl’s drawing in her wish list as a holiday request, thus bringing her a magical new friend. This new family member quickly adapts and becomes the girl’s loyal companion, but senses that something is missing… a mouth with which to sing, eat, blow, brush its teeth, etc. Upon realizing this, the girl asks for a Mr. Potato Head so she can give her friend a mouth and make him happy. Another interesting fact: the voice actor for the doodle is Miguel Ángel Jenner, who also provides the voice for Disney characters such as Mr. Potato Head, Lumière, and Pumbaa.
With its campaign for the United Kingdom, Save The Children reminds us that this Christmas there will be those who are not hoping for gifts, but rather necessities such as food, medicine, warm clothing, or shelter. The children’s NGO explains that one in three children in the United Kingdom faces poverty, and that, worldwide, every minute, 33 children are born into circumstances where they will experience hunger.
The beginning of the ad is a clear reference to the iconic 1995 Coca-Cola spot (which the brand has also recreated in subsequent years), showing a convoy of red trucks approaching a city. A small boy watches them and follows them to their destination: a humanitarian aid camp. The piece, conceived by Ace of Hearts, seeks to highlight the true meaning of Christmas: empathy, solidarity, and building support networks among people.
The cosmetics brand teamed up with the Queen of Christmas, Mariah Carey, to announce the start of the festive season. As in previous years, when the clock struck twelve and November 1st began, Carey released her iconic video to declare a very high-pitched “It’s time!”, but this time she did so in collaboration with Sephora. The campaign was directed by Joseph Kahn and also appeared on a billboard in Times Square that very night.
In the spot, an elf who is weary of Christmas (played by Billy Eichner) tries to ruin the holiday by stealing beauty products from the artist’s room, but she stops him with her triumphant proclamation. The elf is transformed into a snowman, Carey dresses as Santa Claus, and heads out with her sleigh to deliver Sephora gifts around the world.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mariah Carey (@mariahcarey)
A post shared by Mariah Carey (@mariahcarey)
Under the tagline “this Christmas, the greatest gift is being present”, Ikea presents a campaign that seeks to highlight and remind us of the importance of spending quality time with our loved ones, giving them our full attention.
To do so, it features a boy who, seeking to have his parents spend uninterrupted time with him, asks for an Ikea Billy bookcase as his Christmas present. The assembly instructions for the piece of furniture state clearly that it requires the presence of at least two people for assembly. In this way, the illustrations in the manual become a clear and powerful statement about the value of sharing time together.
The spot was directed by Alauda Ruiz de Azúa, recent winner of the Golden Shell at the 73rd San Sebastián Film Festival for her movie “Los Domingos”.
Another brand that has embraced artisanal creativity this year is Apple. The advertisement “A Critter Carol” features a group of animal puppets filmed by Mark Molly of the production company Smuggler, using an iPhone 17 Pro. It is a clear example of how to integrate your product and demonstrate its power and benefits without taking attention away from the story you are telling.
The story begins when a hiker loses his iPhone 17 Pro in the forest; a group of animals finds it and decides to record a video while singing about friendship as a gift for when the man returns to retrieve his phone. The fundamental message of the campaign is that friendship is a gift in itself. The theme that inspires the piece is “Friends” by the New Zealand duo Flight of the Concords.
The American company specializing in home care services for the elderly has evoked nostalgia while delivering an important message with its campaign “Home but Not Alone”. For this, they featured actor Macaulay Culkin, portraying the adult version of Kevin McCallister, the beloved protagonist of Home Alone. It is also noteworthy that the campaign coincides with the 35th anniversary of the release of the first film in this franchise.
The spot shows Kevin initiating a somewhat extravagant plan to protect his now elderly mother during the holiday season. Suddenly, a woman appears who turns out to be the granddaughter of Old Man Marley, another iconic character from the film, and she helps him understand that to truly help, one must speak with people and be aware of the specific type of assistance they actually need.
The campaign was developed by FCB Chicago and directed by Jody Hill.
The Asda supermarket, which also has an online store, chose the Grinch for its Christmas campaign this year. In the commercial, we see the green character who hates Christmas complaining (singing) about how expensive everything is this year until he finds the Asda groceries sign, a bright green sign (like him) that catches his attention. His view of Christmas changes completely thanks to the low prices he finds, allowing the Grinch (who is the father of the family featured) to enjoy Christmas with his loved ones.
It is an advertising piece that is somewhat different from what we are used to, as well as being funny, making good use of the fact that prices have risen this year to show Asda’s advantage over its competitors.
Photo: Intermarché
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