Battle of the Festive Ads: Burberry vs. H&M

Izzi Watkins reviews the most extravagant TV ads this Christmas

Little did we know way back in 2010 that the dulcet tones of Ellie Goulding’s voice set to a snowy mountain scene would set in motion a furious battle to the death for the crown of the Christmas TV ad. John Lewis have since come back year after year with tales of unlikely friendships, star-crossed snowmen and men on the moon- but they’re not the only ones.

This battle of the ads has now grown to encompass not only the big supermarkets, but in more recent times, our favourite fashion brands too. Keen to cash in on our Christmas sentimentality, the likes of Burberry and H&M have invested big bucks in trying to make us feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

This Christmas, Burberry lead the pack, releasing their advert (or as some would call it feature length film) on November 1st, filled to the rafters with A-list celebs. Sienna Miller and Lily James star along side Domhnall Gleeson and Dominic West in the ‘Story of Thomas Burberry’. The ad tells the story of the original Mr. Burberry set to a gorgeous soundtrack and dreamy cinematography. More importantly the advert features, of course, all the cult Burberry items we have come to know and love; from the classic trench coat, to that iconic camel knit scarf. The starry cast of the advert all seemed to be genuinely excited to be involved in such a project. Lily James, the current face of Burberry, told WWW.com she actually wanted it to be developed into a full-length film,  “I’m sure they could have made a film. We invested in the characters, and it was shot like a normal film.” We for one, would be the first in line to see two hours of beautifully crafted Burberry clothes (and not forgetting the beautifully crafted Domhnall Gleeson’s face).

“In true Anderson style the advert was beautiful, bewitching and a little bit bizarre”  

H&M.com

However, the high street fought back with some serious style this week when H&M released their much-anticipated advert ‘Come Together’ directed by Wes Anderson himself. In True Anderson style the advert was beautiful, bewitching and a little bit bizarre. The short film is set on the ‘H&M express’ (give us that over Virgin East Coast any day) and tells the story of a delayed train, and an eccentric train guard who is determined to make one unaccompanied minor’s Christmas just that little bit magical. Although beautiful in its colouring and set-design, the actual plot of the story is a little simplistic, no where near the same scale of Burberry’s intricate weave of stories and characters. Another drawback to the ad is the distinct lack of clothes, it may make us feel warm and fuzzy, but it doesn’t make us wanna go buy anything warm, nor fuzzy- which is a problem for H&M for sure.

Head over to YouTube to watch Burberry and H&M's short films, and decide your fave for yourself. Both adverts are magic in their own right, and have certainly got me feeling festive, bring on the Boxing Day sales! (Burberry will reduce their trench coat by 90%... right?)