Coming out of nowhere, Microsoft blows the competition out of the water with… its Xbox Christmas advert? Really? Are we sure?
Spare a thought for poor old John Lewis. No, not the British department store; the US lecturer with the Twitter handle @JohnLewis, who gets inundated with ridiculous social media queries every time the John Lewis Christmas advert airs on telly. (Though he did get his own back a bit this year with his own festive advert.)
There’s no need to spare any thought for John Lewis the retailer. If the geometric progression of their Christmas adverts is anything to go by, we’ve gone from a stuffed penguin in 2014 (around £20) to a telescope in 2015 (around £150), to this year’s Elton John-endorsed piano (a whopping £872). They’re doing fine. In five years time, they’ll be advertising mid-sized hatchbacks with their mince pies.
But this year, even though their Elton John advert is pretty spectacular, John Lewis doesn’t have the best Christmas advert. And while Sainsbury’s flying plug kid is brilliant, it’s not them either.
This year, the best Christmas advert is from Microsoft. It’s not the general computer and lifestyle side of Microsoft, and it’s not even anything to do with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
No, this year’s best Christmas advert is from Xbox.
Seriously. Xbox. Lurid green, big guns, Marcus Fenix’s sweaty bandanna, Xbox. We’re not even kidding.
Don’t believe us? Then you need to meet Owen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v70Fu2WU8-w
How flipping brilliant is that? We don’t know what game Owen is playing with his Xbox Adaptive Controller – we like to think it’s a solo winner, winner, turkey dinner on PUBG, but given the age of the crowd it’s more likely Fortnite Battle Royale – but it’s a powerful short film that highlights both the amazing community and restorative power of gaming.
No, we’re not crying, you’re crying. Shut up. It’s allergies.
