We’re only just into November, but already brands are launching their 2019 Christmas ad campaigns. Whether you’re a yuleaholic or a grinchy Scrooge, there’s no escaping the festive trading battleground.

Already we’ve seen a number of retailers pulling out all the stops to make their brand stand out from the rest. M&S, Walkers, Aldi, Amazon and Ikea have all launched Christmas adverts in a bid to take on the Christmas ad heavyweight that is John Lewis and their festive tale of a little girl and her excitable friend, Edgar.

So who’s winning in the Christmas advert stakes so far? Let’s take a look at four adverts looking to take on Edgar...

M&S

M&S seems keen to challenge John Lewis in terms of production quality and appeal. The ad – featuring lots of jumpers, dancing and House of Pain’s Jump Around – has been directed by Jake Nava (who was behind the video for Beyoncé’s Single Ladies). Part of M&S’s wider campaign, the Go Jumpers advert shows people jumping and shoulder rolling in their festive knits – a move the retailer would clearly LOVE to go viral.

Walkers

Another brand going all out this year is Walkers. Featuring the Queen of Christmas herself (Mariah Carey), the ad sees her singing All I Want for Christmas is You, dishing out slightly bizarre Christmas presents and entering a tussle with an elf over a packet of Walkers Pigs in Blankets. Mariah gets the bag, but then takes the tiniest bite of a crisp leading some viewers to question whether Walkers Crisps are really all she wants this year.

Lidl

Lidl is taking a more down-to-earth approach to its Christmas message. Promising ‘a Christmas you can believe in’, it shows a more realistic version of the festive period: families decorating the tree, doing a big Christmas shop, and eating together. Designed to cut through season’s ‘opulence’, the ad looks at new Christmas traditions (face-timing family or grabbing extra chairs from the shed).

Ikea

New to the Christmas advert scene, Ikea tackle the issue of ‘home shame’ (tidying your house before your guests arrive). The ad sees a family taunted by a variety of inanimate objects about the state of their home. Shunning sentimentality, the ad features a track by grime MC D Double E and focuses on that looming sense of dread when it comes to hosting others. Ikea’s ad is a break from the norm, and there are already calls for a D Double E Christmas album.

Who gets your vote?

Out of these four, Ikea’s advert gets our vote for bringing something different to the (Christmas Day lunch) table. Although saying that, we’re pretty keen on M&S’s shoulder roll, too.

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