Christmas crackers
Argos Just Can't Wait advert

Christmas crackers

UK – As Christmas adverts were launched this week, LS:N Global has been busy sorting the best from the rest.

Just Can't Wait, Argos

UK – As Christmas adverts were launched this week LS:N Global has been busy sorting the best from the rest.

Tesco is one of the big winners this year with its witty send-up of modern life as seen through the eyes of a dysfunctional family. So often brands are guilty of over-sentimentally at this time of year, but Tesco has kept it fresh and funny with references to gluten-free diets and flirting in the first of four spots.

Waitrose also showed a more humorous side by releasing 10-second trailers of its advert What Makes Your Christmas? Creating quick and highly shareable content shows an appreciation for the way its customers behave online and generated an air of expectancy for the main show.

Also calling time on sentimentality is Argos. For #JustCantWait the retailer ditched slow and steady in favour of a high-octane chase down a mountain side, showing off its extensive product range and same-day delivery service.

Buoyed by the success of 2013’s Sorry, I Spent It On Myself, Harvey Nichols once again made Christmas Day disappointment the centre of its messaging. As LS:N Global explains in Full-stop Strategies in Anti-authenticity Marketing, however, brands must know when to let go of a good idea and this year’s Avoid #GiftFace fails to have the same impact this time around.

Harvey Nichols is not the only one lauding materiality during the festive season. Currys PC World has recruited actor Jeff Goldblum for Spare the Act, a series of short films in which family members, underwhelmed by Christmas, learn to fake the holiday spirit. 

The Big Picture

For more on how to learn when to let go of a good idea and how to market to savvy consumers who know all the tricks, read our Anti-authenticity Marketing macrotrend.

Discover More Daily Signals
Dutch Design Week 2025: kidult aesthetics and serious play

Daily Signals

Dutch Design Week 2025: kidult aesthetics and serious play

On a rainy day in Eindhoven, the design capital of The Netherlands, artists and designers showed us something that really makes us human, that sets...
Design : Dutch Design Week : Play
The Future Laboratory presents The Synthocene Era at TheIndustry.fashion summit

Daily Signals

The Future Laboratory presents The Synthocene Era at TheIndustry.fashion summit

At Nobu Hotel in Marylebone, London, TheIndustry.fashion’s Fashion Retail Reset Summit brought together global executives, industry experts and tho...
Fashion : Global Events : The Future Laboratory
Foresight Friday: Angus Cross, head of business development

Daily Signals

Foresight Friday: Angus Cross, head of business development

Every Friday, The Future Laboratory team offers an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, ...
Foresight Friday : Mobility : Fashion
Stat: UK regenerative coffee sales triple as climate pressures mount

Daily Signals

Stat: UK regenerative coffee sales triple as climate pressures mount

Regenerative coffee sales in the UK have nearly tripled in 2025, signalling a shift toward sustainability in the nation’s £3.6bn ($4.8bn, €4.5...
Coffee : Food : Statistic
Dutch Design Week 2025: Digital afterlives and making space for grief

Daily Signals

Dutch Design Week 2025: Digital afterlives and making space for grief

Dutch Design Week 2025 has so far prompted visitors to question what it means to be human, and what challenges that notion more than death itself.
Dutch Design Week : Design : Global Events
ASOS Live redefines fashion shopping through creator-led video content

Daily Signals

ASOS Live redefines fashion shopping through creator-led video content

ASOS has launched ASOS Live, a new video shopping experience designed to merge inspiration, content and commerce within its app.
Fashion : Asos : Retail
Stat: Gen Alpha face stricter screen time controls at home and school

Daily Signals

Stat: Gen Alpha face stricter screen time controls at home and school

New survey data from Morning Consult reveals that technology bans are already widespread in schools across the US, with more than half of parents o...
Technology : Gen Alpha : Education
Dutch Design Week 2025: Slowing AI and fostering empathy

Daily Signals

Dutch Design Week 2025: Slowing AI and fostering empathy

The 25th edition of Dutch Design Week has kicked off in Eindhoven with this year’s anniversary theme being Past, Present, Possible. The purpose of ...
Dutch Design Week : DDW : Global Events
Oatly’s Future of Taste report spotlights flavours shaping global beverage culture

Daily Signals

Oatly’s Future of Taste report spotlights flavours shaping global beverage culture

Oatly has unveiled its first Future of Taste report, charting the flavours and formats set to influence global beverage culture.
Food : Drink : Flavour
Stat: Size inclusivity stalls on spring/summer 2026 catwalks

Daily Signals

Stat: Size inclusivity stalls on spring/summer 2026 catwalks

The Vogue Business Spring/Summer 2026 Size Inclusivity Report reveals disappointing progress on fashion’s size representation. Of 9,038 runway look...
Fashion : Identity : Stat
You have 2 free News articles remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN