As the U.K. heads into winter 2022, the national mood seems decidedly downbeat. Headlines about inflation and the "cost-of-living crisis" dominate the news. A recession is widely predicted, energy bills are rocketing and the country’s tumultuous political events have left consumers worried about their bills and mortgage repayments. That's not to mention the momentous death of Queen Elizabeth in September.

So when John Lewis, the retailer whose holiday ads have become a hotly-anticipated bellwether of the industry over the past decade, unveiled a Christmas spot that combines a gentle comedy about a middle-aged man learning to skateboard with a purposeful message about children in care, it was deliberately striking a tone that seems suitable to the times.

The ad, which highlight's the brand's commitment to helping children in the care system, is less about buying material goods and more about thinking about the needs of others. Even the typically nostalgic soundtrack, a cover of Blink-182’s “All the Small Things,” reflects the retailer’s new strategy of emphasizing small luxuries, rather than big spending. The "cost-of-living crisis," according to John Lewis Director of Customer Clare Pointon, is also reflected in the ad’s less glitzy production values as it eschewed VFX and animation in favor of down-to-earth storytelling.

Related: See all of the big holiday ads for 2022

Across the board, the tone of most U.K. ads this year has reflected restraint rather than extravagance, as advertisers seek to strike a balance between celebration and commiseration and highlight small moments of joy rather than rampant consumerism. Almost all the ads released so far this year contain some kind of reference to the country’s difficult times, whether brands are partnering with charities or community groups or simply toning down the extravagance that has characterized previous holiday commercials.

Aldi, for instance, continued its famously entertaining Kevin the Carrot campaign, but the storytelling started off with a scene in which Kevin’s kids donate their pocket money to charity. TK Maxx's ad is a joyous dance full of high fives featuring a woman who got all her gifts for a knockdown price. 

Marks & Spencer, meanwhile, filled its spot with people from the charities and communities to which it donates. 

Lidl’s ad about its “Lidl Bear” is a somewhat tongue-in-cheek swipe at other brands' “mascots,” and highlights the retailer's toy donation drive rather than encouraging people to buy merchandise related to the ad.

McDonald’s served up a heartwarming ad about a little boy making a Christmas List, but it switches the narrative when his list blows away and it’s revealed that all he really wanted was to be home with his parents. 

Amazon, with its ad about a single father's homemade snow globe for his daughter that's running in both the U.K. and U.S., also walks a tightrope between a slight sadness and a note of hope.

According to Andy Nairn, founding partner of Lucky Generals, which creates Amazon's Christmas ads, agencies creating Christmas ads do feel a "pressure," because the holiday falls at the end of the year, "to reflect the year that's just gone by."

"A lot of people have gravitated towards reflecting that this year's been tough and there will be tougher times ahead," Nairn said. "So, I think they have tried not to be too showy but to still evoke joy and emotion and hope, rather than to be downtrodden and miserable."

Boots’ ad, in which a girl dons a pair of magic glasses that reveal her family’s desires, has moments of magic but contrasts them with more down-to-earth scenes of real life, like a bus ride or a gloomy office.

With the looming energy bill crisis, mobile brand O2 edges perhaps a little too close to home with an ad about a freezing cold miserable grandma: the "Snowgran," who luckily melts once she gets a mobile data handout. And Tesco, while still focused on price, goes for a slightly different angle; it squeezes in multiple references to the U.K.'s tumultuous politics, with the words “budget” “cuts” and “referendum” all coming up in a spot that parodies a political broadcast.

Perhaps the most exuberant ad this year is Asda's take on "Buddy the Elf," with its clever VFX and big celebrity tie-in. As well as selling mince pies and pigs-in-blankets, however, its message is still one of acceptance and community. 

Less glitz

On top of storytelling and reflecting the country's mood, brands must ensure there's a strong brand message among all the Christmas feasts, cute characters and charity messages, added Lucky Generals' Nairn. "Everybody is drawing on similar themes, so how do you make sure that people realize it's an ad for your brand? John Lewis has been the masters of this this year—it's subtle, captures the zeitgeist, but it's still very clear that it's a John Lewis ad."

In previous years, several brands have unveiled their Christmas commercials at glitzy events for the press, but this year, any launch screenings were also noticeably low-key. John Lewis, for example, held a briefing in an office at its headquarters rather than in a mocked-up Christmas living room at its flagship store, as in some previous years. Boots held a small screening at its ad agency with some holiday treats, but others who have held big launches in the past scaled things back drastically, perhaps mindful of looking profligate in a time of squeezed budgets.

If anything indicates the changing face of holiday ads, it’s perhaps the creative awards meted out to these advertisers. In 2015, John Lewis picked up a Cannes Grand Prix for its entertaining Monty the Penguin spot. But this year at Cannes, the Grand Prix went to "The Wish" by German retailer Penny, whose films, while powerful, are decidedly bleak (this year's follow-up, "The Rift," touches on Covid, Ukraine and climate change.)

Awards aside, there is the more important question of what consumers really think of these more lo-fi ads. System1 conducts in-depth audience testing on a range of holiday ads. The John Lewis ad this year scored 3.3 stars out of 5, according to Jon Evans, System1 chief customer officer, which, "if it was a typical brand-building ad might be a little disappointing,” Evans said.

However, looking at other measures, the ad's top key associations are “caring” and “family,” according to Evans, and its emotional intensity is much higher than average, which is a "testament to its power as a piece of storytelling."

Evans also sounded a word of caution “It’s easy for comfortably-off commentators to praise John Lewis for 'getting the tone right' this year and criticize more typically festive fare as inappropriate in a cost-of-living crisis. Our data at System1 shows that’s not what’s happening at all. Ordinary viewers facing a difficult winter and cut-down Christmas don’t want ads to mirror their struggles—more than ever, they’re responding to ads which make them feel a bit of happiness in a tough time.”