Christmas adverts 2020: this year’s best Xmas promos including John Lewis, Sainsbury’s, Coca Cola and Aldi

We’ve been blessed with many iconic Christmas adverts in 2020.

After the coronavirus pandemic changed life as we know it, retailers scrambled to release a video that would resonate most with audiences.

Some adverts have resulted in backlash and others have reduced viewers to tears.

Here are the most popular adverts, ranked from best to worst (in our humble opinion).

John Lewis

John Lewis’ 2020 advert aims to raise £4 million for charities FairShare and Home-Start, with funds helping vulnerable and struggling families with food, comfort and emotional support.

It was inspired by the “spirit and thoughtfulness” of people and communities during the coronavirus crisis.

The advert opens with a boy whose football has become stuck in a tree. A girl sees his problem and manages to kindly knock it down with a heart-shaped umbrella – and the events of the short film begin to unfold, moving through a series of acts of kindness.

It features different characters created by eight different artists in a nod to the creative industries which have been hit hard by the pandemic.

For its fundraising efforts, and the heartwarming storyline, this advert tops the 2020 bill for us.

Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury’s released three advert clips this year, but it was the first that gained the most attention.

Titled Gravy Song, it centres around a phone call between a father and daughter as they discuss plans for Christmas, and acknowledge the fact they may not get to spend it together as usual thanks to the coronavirus crisis.

As the pair share memories of Christmases past, the film throws up a montage of home video-style recalling previous festive periods, with the daughter reminiscing about her father’s much-loved sauce.

The advert aims to show how food (an essential still available readily during the Covid-19 pandemic) can bring people together and create happy memories.

For us, this was a very wholesome, heartwarming advert which was just what the doctor ordered after a difficult year, making it one of our favourites of 2020.

However, the advert faced backlash on Twitter due to its depiction of a black family, something which trolls have said “doesn’t represent” them.

Some social media users even went so far as to suggest a boycott of the supermarket over the advert.

Amazon

Amazon aimed to pull at people’s heartstrings with their 2020 advert, and the retailer did just that.

The campaign follows the story of a young ballet dancer whose performance was cancelled due to the pandemic.

After the challenge of Zoom calls and outdoor practising, the show is eventually called off, leaving her devastated.

However, thanks to the help from her family, she is able to perform on the street for her neighbours.

Ballet dancer Tais Vinolo stars in the ad and previously credited Amazon for helping her to “own who [she] really is”, after growing up in the French countryside where there were no young black girls studying ballet.

This advert was one of our most loved of 2020, thanks to the message about the power of community and personal identity.

Coca Cola

Coca Cola’s 2020 campaign puts family first, following a devoted dad’s mission to deliver his daughter’s letter to Santa.

He desperately wants to make her Christmas wish come true, travelling to the North Pole - but all she really wants is her dad home in time for the big day.

The message is that the magic of Christmas lies in personal connections and that time is the most precious gift of all.

‘The Letter’ was directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Taika Waititi, known for directing Jojo Rabbit.