The 2023 M&S Christmas Advert Has Landed
Halloween is over, and the Christmas ads are coming. Marks & Spencer is one of the first big hitters to release their festive advert for 2023, and no tradition is safe from the chaos unleashed by a host of stars from recent cultural smash hits Ted Lasso, The Marvels and Queer Eye, as well as the return of some cult favourites from the past.
Set to a cover of Meatloaf’s I Would Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That), re-recorded by artist and singer-songwriter Ray BLK, it features an all-star roster that includes Hannah Waddingham, Tan France, Zawe Ashton and Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
What is the advert about?
The advert is based around the tagline “Love Thismas, Not Thatmas’, inspired by the insight that, for many, it can be a challenge striking the balance between celebrating the things we love about the holidays, and taking on some things we might not enjoy as much but feel obliged to do anyway. Which means the board game-hating member of your family might have a get-out-of-jail free card to play when someone suggests Monopoly this year.
The stars deliver the iconoclastic mission statement with aplomb, as Ashton uses a tube of wrapping paper as a baseball bat to hit a snow globe for six, Waddingham creates confetti by shredding Christmas crackers, France hurls a game of trivial pursuit into a fish tank, and Ellis-Bextor takes a break from blow-torching marshmallows to light unsuspecting Christmas cards aflame.
M&S have not gone full Grinch and done away with Christmas altogether, however, and they are also here to remind you of all the good stuff associated with the holiday – namely, the food and the gifts.
Speaking on their involvement in the campaign, Waddingham said the advert is all about “celebrating the honest truth of Christmas”, while Ashton said “Who doesn’t love an M&S Christmas? I’m delighted to be playing a part in the campaign this year – I have a special place in my heart for M&S. I can’t wait to really embrace the season and make the most of every minute with my family.”
The advert will run on TV’s across the country from today.
