What do this year’s Christmas ads tell us about society?

Christmas ads have a lot in common with sci-fi movies. Science fiction is superficially about the future, but is really about the present.

The original Planet Of The Apes (1968), for example, was set in AD 3978 but the storyline of humans enslaved by apes is actually a searing commentary on the racial issues of the 1960s. In the Terminator series, the Judgment Day, when Skynet tries to erase humanity, takes place in the future, but the warning that mankind must not become too dependent on technology is intended for today.

Christmas ads appear to be about this mythical time called Christmas, but they are actually a lens on our reality.

In the same way, Christmas ads appear to be about this mythical time called Christmas, but they are actually a lens on our reality. Future historians could look at this year’s Christmas ads and gain deep insights about society today.

Above: Planet of the Apes may have been set in the future, but it reflected issues of the present.

Disturbingly, they would learn we are sad, afraid, lonely, and deeply conflicted about the economic engine of the western world - capitalism. Where Christmas ads differ from sci-fi films is that they are not warnings but fantasies. They tell us what we wish we had. What we’re lacking. What we long for.

Where Christmas ads differ from sci-fi films is that they are not warnings but fantasies.

As society atomises and more of us are living alone, and increasingly online rather than in-person, a longing for togetherness is super-prominent this year. Christmas ads have often portrayed families coming together but, this year, the togetherness has reached truly insane levels.

Australian supermarket Coles’s Christmas spot [below] shows literally thousands of people coming together at one long table: an obvious fantasy.

Above: A fantasy of togetherness – 2022 Christmas ad for Australian supermarket Coles, by DDB Melbourne. 

Similarly, British retailer Argos portrays an impossibly numerous horde of relatives converging on one couple’s home for Christmas. It’s clear hyperbole, one that reveals a longing for togetherness. We are desperate to be with other people. British supermarket Waitrose’s 2016 spot Home for Christmas spot depicts a bird battling wild winds, skyscraper waves and even a predatory hawk to cross an incredible distance to make it ‘home’.

[Argos is] clear hyperbole, one that reveals a longing for togetherness.

“It’s Christmas, and I need to find me a little friend,” proclaims comedian Dawn French in this year’s ad for British retailer Marks & Spencer. Don’t we all. As well as feeling lonely, we’re also sad. This is evident from the huge quantity of commercials peddling happiness.

“Britain, there’s a joy shortage,” announces the voiceover at the beginning of UK supermarket Tesco’s 2022 Christmas ad. British chemist Boots proclaims Joy For All in a spot about a drab world transformed, while Asda wheels out the joyful optimism of Will Ferrell’s Buddy The Elf [below] in one of the UK’s most popular Christmas ads this year.

Above: British supermarket Asda brings the joy we are sorely lacking, in this spot by Havas London. 

On the brink of a global recession, it’s no surprise that our sadness is joined by fear. Macy’s 2022 festive campaign exploits the fear of whether the recipient will like their gift. The discomfort of the giving moment is so terrifyingly drawn-out, it could almost be a horror movie.

On the brink of a global recession, it’s no surprise that our sadness is joined by fear.

There are truly dark undertones too in this year’s ad for UK supermarket Sainsbury’s, which tells the story of a medieval cook who is afraid the Christmas pudding won’t be good enough - he is even threatened with death if it isn’t.

When the outlook is discomforting, we tend to look backwards, to days when life seemed simpler and more certain. Hence the escape to nostalgia offered by Australia’s Woolworth’s supermarket, and by Kroger in the US [below].

Above: In uncertain times, we retreat into nostalgia, as seen in this holiday-themed ad for Kroger, by DDB NY. 

And, because we fear we won’t have enough to get us through the lean years, British supermarket Morrison’s brings us abundance. In the words of one commenter: “forget about cost of living forget about exorbitant fuel cost am going to have a wonderful time. Thanks Morrisons.”

A future sociologist might conclude from this year’s Christmas ads that we are highly conflicted about capitalism.

The final insight a future sociologist might conclude from this year’s Christmas ads is that we are highly conflicted about capitalism. For TK Maxx UK [below], a woman worries she hasn’t spent much this Christmas, but is reassured when all the townspeople give her a high five.

Meanwhile, TK Maxx Australia’s ‘Uncle Simon’ spot [below] portrays a gift-giver who feels a terrible weight of expectation, as an entire household sings ‘Simon is here!’ to the tune of ‘Santa is here’, in a fever of anticipation for his visit. Do I have enough money to make people happy? That is the question the commercial asks. And thanks to TK Maxx, the answer is yes.

Above: TK Maxx confronted the cost of living crisis in its Christmas commercial.

LIDL UK’s Christmas ad [below] shows a stuffed bear who inadvertently becomes a Christmas toy sensation. It’s a blatant commentary on the commercialisation of Christmas, and the capitalistic nature of Christmas ads themselves. This ad, more than any other, eats itself.

With their relentless joy, excessive insistence on togetherness, barely-masked fear and deeply-rooted anxiety about capitalism, this year’s Christmas fantasies imply that our reality is rather grim.