In round four of our ‘Battle of the Grocers’ series, we ask our panel of marketing experts which supermarket has produced the best Christmas advert this year.

Which supermarket will come out on top – Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, Aldi, Lidl, Waitrose or M&S?

Katie Drew: “This ad is really trying to rival John Lewis for pulling on the heartstrings. It’s nice to see a brand not shy away from the truth of how hard Christmas can be when navigating the loss of a loved one. I’m left wanting to hug my nan and eat gingerbread, so this is a job well done.”

Michael Chadwick: “Building on last year’s creative device of people morphing into Christmassy items, this year’s offering from Tesco has a real emotional heft. Some may query the slightly more melancholy tone at this otherwise uniformly joyous time of year, but for me this is a touching ad that’s about being human as much as it’s about Christmas. The gingerbread street shots were lovely as well.”

Katy Hopkins: “Not so many emotional stories this year, but this one hit me in the feels. Nicely crafted, down to the posters of gingerbread men in their pants. A sob story that’s still uplifting.”

Alex Vasile: “This was the only ad that made me tear up. What a beautiful continuation of the platform Tesco launched last year. It’s not about the food or the excess – it’s about the right people. Now I really can’t wait to go back home. Thanks, Tesco, for capturing that feeling.”

Guy Bradbury: “This year Tesco seems to have taken a leaf out of the John Lewis playbook, with a captivating story that keeps you watching for the plot twist. I’m left wondering about poor grandad, who can only afford a pack of biscuits, whilst the protagonist spends on himself. But all gets resolved in the end. Hope they’ve stocked up on gingerbread houses. Think they may sell a few.”

Katie Drew: “Sainsbury’s has captured the nostalgic magic of Christmas through the BFG. It’s wholesome and leaves audiences feeling fuzzy. However, the retailer could have brought the BFG world to life on social or in real life to capture the hearts of audiences further.”

Michael Chadwick: “Not sure there’s anything particularly clever going on here, but then Christmas is about heart more than head, and you can’t really argue with a great big ad with a well-loved property like the BFG. Why the BFG for Christmas though, you may ask? Apparently, it’s because of his ‘natural curiosity for food’. To be honest, I’m not sure I ever thought snozzcumbers and frobscottle sounded particularly delicious, but this is warm Christmassy escapism that ticks all the shiny gift-wrapped boxes.”

Katy Hopkins: “What a way to say “go BIG at Christmas”. Unfortunately, the character is so loved that I’m afraid he leaves the supermarket somewhat in his giant-sized shadow. So, while the ad is incredibly well crafted, and gave me a warm fuzzy feeling about the BFG, I was left rather lukewarm about the brand itself.”

Alex Vasile: “Visually stunning. This year’s Sainsbury’s ad is a real feast for the eyes. I just wish the story had a bit more of that phizz-whizzing magic. And honestly, couldn’t the BFG have dropped a few of those goodies on my table? Oh well… maybe next year.”

Guy Bradbury: “The BFG for Sainsbury’s: what’s not to love? Big product and big quality cues for the brand, for those who want to go big – with a bit of magic thrown in. A lovely way to talk about different products, with distinctive assets that can work across channels. Let’s hope they bought the rights.”

Katie Drew: “Asda has brought its long beloved gnomes to life beyond the ad – from the helpful havoc ‘gnomies’ taking over and leaking the ad on social, to tiny IRL gnome stalls along the South Bank. It’s a best-in-class example of how to keep the magic alive and audiences engaged beyond your TV ad.”

Michael Chadwick: “Gnomes for Christmas? What the merry baubles is going on here? I spent most of my time watching this wondering ‘why gnomes?’. A quick search informed me that, actually, gnomes are a longstanding cult product at Asda. If you didn’t know this, you might just wonder if they got gnomes and elves mixed up. Feels like a change of pace from the Elf and Bublé executions of the last few years.”

Katy Hopkins: “It’s daft. It’s puntastic. It’s basically one long Christmas dad joke. But for some reason I like it. It’s unashamedly Christmassy. My kids will no doubt persuade one of their grannies to buy them an Asda gnome for Christmas. So, job done.”

Alex Vasile: “Getting a house – or a store – ready for Christmas is no easy task. It takes a gno-rmous amount of work (did I nail that pun?), and Asda’s latest ad captures this perfectly. The abundance of play on words is a delight! As I watched, I kept wondering, can they squeeze another one in? And the answer was always yes! Plus, the A-Team theme song? Instant nostalgia. Love it.”

Guy Bradbury: “If you know Asda, you’ll know they have gnomes, so this charming spot makes sense for the brand, with simple storytelling and a neat way to move across different categories in store. Building on the hit film Gnomeo and Juliet and without the expensive licensing price tag, it’s also a smart way to engage families with young kids. I hope they use the distinctive assets across more channels to really bring it to life and drive sales. There’s a lot of fun to be had here.”

Katie Drew: “The music is fun but the ad has landed a bit flat, especially on social. It doesn’t seem to be tapping into any brand or community truths that make it intrinsically Morrisons. Sadly, it just doesn’t quite have the wholesome magic to match Asda or Sainsbury’s.”

Michael Chadwick: “I guess I probably wouldn’t mind receiving a nice pair of oven gloves for Christmas one year. Two years in a row? I’m not sure. Can oven gloves be a thing? And more particularly, can they be a Christmas thing? They felt more like one-hit wonders than the next Kevin the Carrot, and the fact that Morrisons struggles to do anything very different with them here maybe proves the point.”

Katy Hopkins: “Great song choice. But I wish there had been more playfulness with the glove puppet characters. More of a build into beautiful Busby Berkeley-esque displays. It felt a bit lacking in craft and a little too cheap”.

Alex Vasile: “The oven gloves are back! Morrisons’ Christmas ad picks up where the brand left off in 2023, but with a fresh twist. This year’s focus leans into the abundance of products, and while it’s entertaining, I can’t help but feel it’s missing a bit of the humour that made last year’s spot so memorable.”

Guy Bradbury: “Now, I quite liked the singing oven gloves last year. And there’s certainly nothing wrong with having a character to talk up the delicious food going into our ovens. But do I want a second helping? Not really. This is possibly an attempt to build on last year’s campaign. Perhaps it worked, and they want to boost their sales again. Hope they don’t get their fingers burned.”

Katie Drew: “A great example of a brand not trying to reinvent the wheel by sticking to what its audiences know and love. In Aldi’s case, it’s the return of Kevin The Carrot – a good ad that doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is of course Aldi in a nutshell… but it’s not one of the strongest this year.”

Michael Chadwick: “The carrot that every brand wishes they had in their Christmas locker is back. The challenge with such a property is how do you keep it fresh and interesting, and here they do that with a fun, action-packed spot about saving Christmas from the humbugs, that manages to weave in a fair amount of product amidst the mayhem.”

Katy Hopkins: “I imagine there are some people who would be more than happy to see Rudolph do away with Kevin. But the false bottom and booby trap joke raised a smile.”

Alex Vasile:  “Katie, the briefcase. The one with the false bottom.” This line had me laughing out loud! The ad is full of innocent jokes that hit just right – I absolutely love it. Humour combined with storytelling? That’s my favourite formula for Christmas. Looks like Kevin might have saved Christmas in more ways than one.”

Guy Bradbury: “I’m not keen on this, and that’s not just because I don’t like carrots. I just find the whole thing hard to follow. It’s an awful lot of story in a short period of time. But before you shoot me, I’m sure fans will love it, with all the little jokes that you notice on second viewing, especially ‘it’s a booby trap’.”

Katie Drew: “Fair play to Lidl. It’s nice to see a supermarket using its prime ad slot to promote something charitable. This is timely and taps into the growing social conversation on clearing out toys pre-Christmas. It’s not the most memorable of the bunch, but it has the strongest sense of purpose.”

Michael Chadwick: “A lot of festive ads tell us that we’re at our best when we live our lives with Christmas spirit. Here’s a different proposition: a brand actually doing just that through the Lidl Toy Bank – actioning something good for Christmas, rather than just talking about it. Not sure about the ad itself, but then the ad isn’t the most important thing here – and that’s its strength.”

Katy Hopkins: “Wow, quite a lot going on in this one. It could have done without the poetic voiceover, which feels like an afterthought. The tone of the narration is mismatched to the visuals and messes with what could have been a sweet advert.”

Alex Vasile: “Lidl made a bold choice by steering away from product-focused messaging, and I think it paid off. While most Christmas ads lean into abundance, Lidl’s encourages us to donate a toy, reminding us that giving is better than receiving. A great message! I just wish the little boy got a toy instead of a winter hat.”

Guy Bradbury: “I’m less convinced about the Lidl spot. I’m just not sure the storytelling is there. The narration doesn’t fit the cadence of the music or the picture. And if I was Shrek, I’d want my gingerbread man back. I also found the whole look a bit saccharine, and just not very Lidl.”

Katie Drew: “A strong concept and great casting make this one of the front-runners this year. The mystery mini-series has been brought to life with social-first content, showing that good ads shouldn’t live and die on the TV screen. I’m not surprised that many are keenly awaiting part two.”

Michael Chadwick: “The strategist in me can’t help thinking there was some data behind this around detective fare being popular Christmas entertainment recently (Glass Onion, anyone?). The strategist in me also can’t help admiring the fact there’s a series of Christmas ads in this (whodunnit?!), rather than it just being a one-and-done job. And then the more normal bit of my brain just found it fresh and fun, with a great cast that made me smile. Thank you, Waitrose for the gift of an original and inventive Christmas ad this year.”

Katy Hopkins: “It’s different. It’s engaging. It’s incredibly well cast. I like it a lot and think plenty of other people will too. I have had a bet on the reveal. If the aim is to get people engaged and actually want to watch the next ad, then this one gets a big tick.”

Alex Vasile: “Who took the pudding? My money’s on the cat. Waitrose delivered a cracking ad this year. I love how it doesn’t revolve around a full table but instead hones in on a single product. Most importantly, it got everyone talking. So… when’s part two coming out?”

Guy Bradbury: “Families play games at Christmas, so what’s not to love about a murder mystery from Waitrose. Super casting, writing and a cliffhanger to get the nation talking. It’s great to see someone do something distinctive in the category.”

Katie Drew: “It’s completely out of touch with what Christmas looks like for most of the UK. But you can’t please everyone, and it’s a strong ad for those who can afford or aspire to a bougie Christmas. I respect that M&S knows its audience, and doesn’t bother trying to cater to anyone else.”

Michael Chadwick: “Most Christmas ads lean into the fantastical, the grand theme and the ‘big’ emotive message. Here, M&S has seasoned that with something a little bit more grounded, real and human, throwing out a few light barbs at the expense of the more tiring aspects of hosting Christmas. It’s all delivered in a festively frothy way, with a nice frosting of magic sprinkled across the top.”

Katy Hopkins: “Very Christmassy. Very reminiscent of a certain vicar. I bet they only eat food from M&S in Dibley. Reinforces that M&S has great products, but doesn’t really add anything to the brand for me.”

Alex Vasile: “I’m exhausted already!” What a strong, relatable start. I love the juxtaposition of reality and magic – it’s a great source of humour. Honestly, I might need my own Christmas fairy this year. When’s that hitting the shelf?”

Guy Bradbury: “Now, I quite liked Dawn French at the start of this one, and it was going well right up to the pork pie, but then it unravelled at the end, with terrible dancing. The food looked delicious as ever. And I’m sure they will win with their party food. But they could end up with a fight on their hands with Waitrose this time around.”

And the 2024 Christmas advert winner is… Waitrose.