The battle of the Christmas adverts ( Extra Activity)

And so it begins. The festive battle between the Christmas department stores began
on 11th November, with the eagerly anticipated release of the John Lewis advert
featuring Boxer the dog. Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury’s and even Heathrow Airport
have joined the race to be the best Christmas advert of 2016.

Each advert has a background song which sets the mood, and each advert lasts for
two or three minutes but is often shortened during the advert breaks on television.
They tell a festive story, often focusing on empathy and encouraging the viewer to be
able to relate to what is happening on television. The British public love their pets
and it is very easy to fall in love with Boxer the dog, who features in the John Lewis
advert. He wants to bounce on the trampoline, but has to wait until Christmas
morning. Sainsbury’s focuses on Christmas being a busy time of year and how it is
very hard to fit everything in, but that ultimately, we buy presents and food to have a
nice day with our family.

The John Lewis advert is often crowned the best advert, but this year it has two
other worthy contenders: Marks and Spencer and Heathrow Airport. Marks and
Spencer turn to Mrs. Claus, Father Christmas’ wife, to save the day for Jake, a little
boy who loves his sister but always seems to make her angry with him. This tear-
jerker is beautiful and illustrates how Christmas shouldn’t be about ourselves, but
about looking after our family members. The Heathrow Airport advert is brilliant to
empathize with. It features two teddy bears who are flying home for Christmas and it
documents their journey from the airplane landing to arrivals. Everybody who has
been on holiday can empathize with this daunting experience, but it’s made worth it
in the end, as the teddy bears turn out to be grandparents who are happily greeted
by their grandchildren!

All the companies spend a lot of money on their Christmas adverts, each trying to be
better than the year before. What is clever about the adverts is that they tell the
story without mentioning their brand or company until the very end, to conclude the
short film; they employ very clever advertising strategies to encourage the public to
buy their products and the adverts are always a great talking point.
A. Discuss the meaning of the highlighted words. Then match them with one of the
following definitions.

-to give someone a title for winning a competition

-to include or show something as a special or important part of something

-done or made in an unusual or interesting way that is very effective

-enthusiastically

-frightening in a way that makes you feel less confident

-looking or feeling bright and cheerful in a way that seems suitable for celebrating
something

-a film, book, or story that is very sad and makes you cry

-someone or something that is in a competition with other people or things

-to move up and down, especially because you are hitting a surface that is made
of rubber, has springs, etc

-a piece of equipment that you jump up and down on as a sport

B.
Discuss the following questions with a partner.

1. Which is your favorite advert? Why?

2. Do companies make special advertisements for festivals or holidays in your country?

3. Do you think adverts are a worthwhile use of money? (Is it a good idea to spend so much
money on them?) Explain.