With brands pulling out all the stops to get into the holiday spirit, the Christmas campaign rush is officially underway.
From local Australian campaigns to big-budget international spots, there’s plenty of work worth putting on the list. And with the season still warming up, there’s sure to be plenty more arriving in the coming weeks.
B&T has decided to round up the standout campaigns from Australia and around the world, to celebrate the clever ideas and creative executions making this year’s festive advertising worth watching.
We’ll continue to update the list as new campaigns land, so check regularly to catch the latest work and see who’s making the most of the most wonderful time of the year for adland.
John Lewis
John Lewis has kicked off its 20th Christmas campaign with a story about a grandmother determined to get gift-giving right. Starring Kristin Scott Thomas, the film follows her attempt to reconnect with her grandchildren after realising cash in an envelope isn’t cutting it anymore. With encouragement from her toy dog, she headed to John Lewis for a more suitable present. Created by Saatchi & Saatchi and directed by Lucy Forbes, the spot featured music from Sam Fender and carries a simply message: ‘Don’t give up on Giving’.
Gucci
Gucci brought out the big guns in its latest Christmas campaign, featuring none other than Mariah Carey, with the singer’s own festive anthem providing the soundtrack to a suitably extravagant holiday arrival. The spot titled ‘Gucci Gift’, was directed by Harmony Korine and sees hotel staff prepping for Carey’s arrival. When she finally appears, Carey is head-to-toe in Gucci’s new butterfly collection, a nod to her signature motif and her 1997 album of the same name. The campaign has rolled out globally across digital and social.
Nike & Sports Direct
Nike and Sport Direct recruited an all-star line-up to tackle the stress of Christmas shopping, in a new campaign starring Erling Haaland, Dina Asher-Smith, Leah Williamson, Henry Pollock and rapper Aitch. Created by independent agency Chaos x Magic, ‘Unwrap Potential’ follows an uncle searching for the perfect present for his niece, unaware that a team of sporting experts would help him find a gift to match her football ambitions. The spot was directed by Tyrus Hill and has five shorter executions covering different gifting occasions. The campaign has rolled out across TV, social digital, out-of-home and in-store.
Coles
Coles has given Christmas cooks permission to take shortcuts this festive season, with its new campaign ‘Take Credit This Christmas’. Created by Smith St, a bespoke Omnicom Oceania agency, the spot follows Aussie’s going to increasingly elaborate lengths to hide their festive shortcuts. The campaign promotes Coles’ Own Brand festive range and was built around the idea that shoppers would rather spend time with their family than in the kitchen. The integrated campaign has rolled out across paid, owned and earned channels.
The Warehouse
The Warehouse claimed Christmas as its own in a new campaign that celebrates distinctly Kiwi traditions, last-minute gift buying and festive chaos. Created by TBWA\New Zealand, the four-part campaign extends the retailer’s ‘This Is Warehouse Country’ platform, into the biggest shopping period of the year. From Christmas morning gift unwrapping to the rare moment when the host gets to put up their feet, the spot captures familiar scenes from households across Aotearoa. The campaign rolled out across nationwide.
Levi’s
Levi’s brought back claymation for Christmas with ‘Let’s Get Fuzzy’, a handmade festive campaign starring Gus, a large, furry character on a mission to find his place at the Christmas table. Created to showcase the denim brand’s winder knitwear collection, the stop-motion film revisits a technique first explored by Levi’s in 1995 with its ‘Clayman’ campaign. Each character, set and outfit was crafted by hand, with four hours of filming required per second of animation. The spot extends into retail and launched globally across digital and social.
Tesco
Tesco kicked off the UK Christmas ad season with a three-minute tale of mistaken deliveries, old friendships and festive goodwill. Created with BBH London, ‘The Wrong Address’ stars comedian Roisin Conaty as delivery driver Polly and actor Anna Maxwell Martin as customer Lizzie, whose Christmas food order accidentally lands at her former home. What starts as an awkward mix-up turns into an unexpected reunion. Set to The Police’s Every Little Thing She Does, the spot put Tesco’s delivery service at the heart of the feel-good festive story.
Woolworths
Woolworths has given Christmas a soundtrack this year, turning more than 8,000 customer submissions about festive food favourites into an original carol for its 2026 campaign, ‘Tastes Like Christmas’. Created by Droga5 ANZ, the campaign put the traditions of Australian and New Zealand families front and centre. It also marks the first major Christmas campaign under CMO Sean Barrett, who joined the supermarket giant in January. It has rolled out across TV, radio, social, digital, out-of-home and in-store. The campaign is accompanied by a Spotify partnership featuring Christmas playlists and personalised listening experiences.
Prada
Prada has swapped computer-generated effects for good old-fashioned pencil-and-paper animation for its holiday 2026 campaign, ‘Drawing Prada: Animated By Hand’. Created under the creative direction of Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons, the film blends live-action footage with hand-drawn characters and winter landscapes, featuring celebrity ambassadors Sadie Sink, Maya Hawke, Chen Haoyu, Luther Ford and Kelvin Harrison Jr. Animator John Pomeroy, whose credits include Disney’s Pocahontas and The Land Before Time, led the team that brought the illustrated world to life.
GPT Group
GPT Group has embraced the choatic side of Christmas, with a campaign that turned festive mishaps into moments worth celebrating. Created with Fabric, part of TBWA\Australia, ‘For The Love Of Christmas’ has rolled out out across GPT’s 16 shopping centres, swapping picture-perfect festive scenes for forgotten presents and kitchen disasters. A series of short films captured the chaos, with each finding a reason to love the madness. The campaign aimed to give GPT’s centres a recognisable festive voice, encouraging shoppers to visit and make their own Christmas traditions.
Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany & Co. got sentimental this Christmas, with Amanda Seyfried fronting its global holiday 2026 campaign, ‘Love Is A Gift’. Created with American Haiku and directed by Derek Cianfrance, the two-minute film took viewers between present-day and 1990s New York, following a mother and daughter. Along the way, a special Tiffany ornament becomes more than just a festive decoration, turning into a keepsake to be treasured for years to come. The campaign has rolled out globally across cinema, social, digital out-of-home and Tiffany’s owned channels.
