Christmas is full of presents, friends, family, and lots and lots of ads. The festive time is notoriously chaotic for advertising, with seemingly endless Christmas themed ads for anything between lawnmowers to space travel. From the moment we see an ad, our brain will almost always simultaneously throw the information into the discard pile alongside the other 5000 we are exposed to daily. When we are swarmed with so many adverts, how do brands effectively cut-through the clutter?

Here are some Christmas ads that stood out for Luma. Each one has a unique perspective that sets them apart from the hundreds produced every season. Each uses a different angle to get their message to the consumer.

Iceland (the Supermarket) - There is an Orangutan in my Room

The British supermarket committed to removing palm oil from its own label food by the end of 2018. A Christmas ad was developed to raise awareness of the company's decision as a result of the major deforestation of the Orangutans habitat in South East Asia.

In the festive season, media channels are cluttered by feel-good shopping adverts, so Iceland created a short but powerful film to cut-through the saturated advertising environment. The emotional story of "Rang-Tan" encourages awareness of global issues and ethical shopping. Unfortunately, this add was banned by advertising regulators as it was seen to be supporting a political issue.

While the advert never made it to air, it has spread its message through other media channels such as social media. This ad is unique in that it shifts away from the traditionally festive ads of the Christmas season, and takes the audience back to a very real and very distressing global issue. An emotive message, appealing visual and timely subject mean the brands impact is felt even during this chaotic advertising season.

Debenhams - Do a bit of a Debenhams

Debenhams took a new and highly relevant angle on its 2018 Christmas Campaign. The campaign consisted of a set of four 20 second clips voiced by Jenna Coleman, and the iconic sound track 'Star' by Kiki Dee.

Each clip captured the moment a gift giver perfectly 'nailed' the right gift for a friend, family member or loved one. Debenhams broke away from the common Christmas convention of putting the attention of the gift receiver, and instead placed it on the giftee'. The campaign focused on the 'nailed it' feeling you get when you know you've found the perfect gift, the brand wanted the audience to share in this fist pump moment.

The brand positions itself as the solution to a concern most Christmas shoppers deal with year on year. Leaving a positive and reassuring message with the audience is critical for effective ad recall. This positive can-do attitude leaves a lasting impression on viewers, putting Debenhams on this years Christmas shopping list.

John Lewis - Elton John Lewis

John Lewis consistently maintains a set of brand associations through its iconic Christmas Marketing Campaigns. These highly evocative soundtracks and emotive stories are delivered year after year, with a carefully tailored style built around the John Lewis image.

The brand is so strongly associated with the narratives that their ads are easily identifiable. As a result, brand perceptions and brand recall are much higher than other generic Christmas ads. Audio and narrative branding can significantly increase the effectiveness of an ads branding, a strategy that John Lewis has crafted over its many years of Christmas ads.

This year was no exception, with John Lewis using the inspiring narrative of Elton John to build brand equity. Their 2018 Christmas campaign touched the hearts of consumers and celebrated the journey of a musical legend. Using effective audio and narrative, this ad cut through the Christmas clutter and encoded their brand in the mind of consumers. This nostalgic narrative brought John Lewis back to Christmas shoppers.