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The Christmas ad season is upon us. Several brands in Europe and the US, across categories (especially retail such as John Lewis & Waitrose) create campaigns that have a global fan following. In this week\u2019s compilation of clutter-breaking creative ads<\/a>, a few Christmas ads which caught my eye, among others.<\/p>\n Waitrose: The Perfect Gift<\/strong><\/p>\n The context: the \u2018Christmas ad\u2019 is tough brief. While UK\u2019s \u2018big retail\u2019 brands have a natural fit and reason to advertise, there is tremendous pressure to outperform competing brands in the category as well other advertisers during the season. The marketing world and media looks out for such ads and gives visibility to the popular ones. This year, I thought almost all the ads were underwhelming including the much anticipated one for John Lewis. In that context, the new ad from Waitrose is refreshingly engaging.<\/p>\n Why I like it: while it has all the ingredients of a typical feel-good romcom it is still not predictably boring thanks to the great casting, acting and a simple, charming plot with a twist. Also, most big retail brands anchor their Christmas ad on \u2018the gift\u2019 whereas focusing on food as the differentiator helps it stand out. Loved it. 5 stars. <\/p>\n \n