The Good - Greggs

Whether it be a guilty pleasure or a treat that you are proud to flaunt, everyone loves a Greggs. A far cry from the traditional plain sausage roll, Greggs have pushed the boat out this Christmas with their new festive menu.

The pièce de resistance of the campaign comes in the form of the Festive Bake. Comprised of a crumbed pastry, filled with chicken, bacon, sage and onion stuffing, and a creamy sage and cranberry sauce, it is the sort of masterpiece you would expect from such a well-renowned bakery.

Furthering their campaign beyond just the edible, Greggs are also revolutionising the high-street bakery industry by throwing three retro-style music parties at different venues across England and Scotland – the three-part party series is aptly named “Greggs presents: The Festive Rewind”.

The first two editions, hosted in Glasgow and Birmingham respectively, boasted music royalty in Martin Kemp and record label Hedkandi. But fear not as the Greggs festive fun is not over, with the third and final party taking place at London’s Protein Studios on 15 December, starring H and Claire from Steps in a 2000s themed night. What we said about Christmas campaigns not being cringeworthy… we can make exception here.

The Good - Amazon

Amazon seem to have hit the nail on the head with their 2023 Christmas advert, combining the feel good factor of giving at Christmas, with the heartwarming effect that the elderly seem to have in Christmas adverts almost every year.

Amazon’s “Joy Ride” advert is in the company’s own words, “The story of three life-long friends reliving the joy of their youth atop a snowy hill, proving that joyful moments are made even more special when they’re shared”.

This description just about sums it up perfectly, as the advert is quintessentially Christmas, without tipping into the cringeworthy category. The perfect balance.

The Bubbly - Coca-cola

Coca-Cola is a brand steeped in Christmas tradition so it is no surprise that they have once again ticked all the boxes with their 2023 campaign.

It wouldn’t really be Christmas if we didn’t hear the classic “Holidays Are Coming” tune, whilst watching swarms of Coca-Cola trucks passing through a festively lit town, and the infamous drinks brand have rolled out the unmistakable advert once again this year.

Away from that, Coca-Cola have also unveiled a campaign named ‘The World Needs More Santas Like You’. It involves a £30,000 giveaway, aimed at giving back to convenience stores at the heart of their communities to “help make Christmas extra special for their customers and local area”.

Here are the ins and outs of the campaign, as described by Coca-Cola themselves: “Convenience retailers must be registered on My.CCEP.com to enter the daily free prize draw. Each of the randomly selected daily winners will receive £1,000 – £500 to donate to a nominated registered local charity or good cause and the other £500 to help make Christmas extra special in their local community by hosting a festive event or celebration.” Sounds like not a bad initiative!

The campaign was coupled with an equally heartwarming advert, which depicts a town in which Santas are rushing around, all helping each other to get prepared for Christmas. The scene then switches to real life, in which we see people performing similar acts of kindness, showing that what people were actually seeing initially was others’ ‘inner Santa’. Now that’s what we call Christmas spirit!

The... Bad? – M&S

By a similar token, many were not sold on the star-studded line-up which graced this year’s Marks & Spencer Christmas Advert, with the ad also being accused of missing the Christmas spirit.

M&S shelled out on securing stars such as Hannah Waddingham, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Tan France, but that wasn’t enough to win over everyone in the comments of their YouTube channel…

The advert depicted Ellis-Bextor burning Christmas cards, whilst Tan France threw a couple’s boardgame up in the air, and Waddingham shredding various Christmas decorations. The idea was supposedly to tell shoppers to do whatever, buy whatever, and celebrate however they want this Christmas, rather than be bound by traditions, but that was not necessarily a great standpoint for a viewership that is largely sentimental, and enjoy their Christmas traditions – but then again at least they tried something a bit different!

The... Bad? – John Lewis

First things first, to brandish any Christmas advert as simply “bad” is a disservice to the creators, but John Lewis is, at least in the UK, the most eagerly-anticipated advert every year and they are always expected to set the bar high.

Lets start with the positives. Many have praised John Lewis for capturing a more diverse audience, moving away form the portrayal of the nuclear family at Christmas as this year’s advert portrays a single-parent environment, which makes up 15% of all UK households. The soundtrack is also a huge plus with the incomparable voice of Andrea Bocelli performing an energetic rendition of his own single “Festa”.

On the other side of the coin are the critics of the advert, some of which have branded it “Not very Christmassy” and “Incredibly disappointing”. The advert depicts a Venus flytrap wreaking havoc around a family home, even at one point attempting to eat the family dog, which leads to the plant being left out in the cold.

To appease the young boy whose plant it is, the family present it with gifts outside on what is supposedly Christmas day. The plant then promptly devours the gifts, and regurgitates presents for the rest of the family.

In what was an attempt to escape from the ordinary with a “don't judge a book by its cover" message, many felt that the Christmas spirit was lost in this advert, leaving many John Lewis advert enjoyers dismayed.