The 2026 Christmas Ad War Just Started — and It's a Fight Between Borrowed Fame and Earned Emotion

The UK's two grocery giants fired first on the same night — 1 November — but they chose opposite strategies: Sainsbury's rented a national treasure in Roald Dahl's BFG, while Tesco bet three minutes on a story no one had seen before. Both can win; only one compounds.

What launched, and when

At 6.26pm on 1 November, Sainsbury's debuted 'The BFG Goes Home', made with New Commercial Arts. The Big Friendly Giant has a cold, and a Sainsbury's colleague delivers Christmas dinner to his cave. Minutes later, Tesco aired 'The Wrong Address' on ITV during Who Wants to Be a Millionaire — a three-minute BBH London film, directed by Steve Rogers, in which a delivery driver played by Roisin Conaty drives an old school friend's misdirected food order across the country.

They were not alone. Argos brought back mascots Connie and Trevor with Richard Ayoade in 'Tales of Argos Past', and Debenhams opened the season early in mid-October with its romcom 'Christmas. For Everyone'. M&S had already fused fashion and food in its first combined festive spot. The slate is set; the strategies could not be more different.

The real divide: borrowed fame versus earned emotion

Strip away the budgets and 2026's Christmas ads split into two camps. One camp borrows fame — a licensed character, a nostalgic IP, a famous face — to buy instant recognition. Sainsbury's leaning on the BFG is the clearest example: audiences arrive already loving the character, so the ad starts halfway up the hill. The other camp earns its emotion from scratch, building an original story and trusting the craft to land. Tesco's cross-country delivery tale is that bet.

Both are legitimate. Borrowed fame lowers the risk of being ignored — the single biggest cause of wasted ad spend — and licensed worlds give a retailer ready-made in-store theatre. But borrowed fame is rented, not owned. When the licence lapses or the celebrity moves on, the distinctiveness leaves with them. Original stories are harder to make and slower to pay back, but the characters, the music and the feeling become brand assets the business keeps.

Marketing Minute's read

Here is the framework we'd hand any marketer watching this unfold. Ask three questions of a festive idea: Does it get noticed in the first five seconds? Does it clearly belong to us and no one else? And will we still be using parts of it in three years? Borrowed fame almost always wins the first question and often loses the third. Earned emotion is the reverse. The strongest Christmas franchises — the ones that return year after year — tend to start as originals and then become their own IP.

For a small or mid-sized business with none of these budgets, the lesson is not to copy the production values. It is to copy the discipline: pick one simple human truth, tell it consistently, and build something recognisably yours rather than renting attention you'll have to rent again next year.

Quick FAQ

When do UK Christmas ads usually launch?

Increasingly early. Debenhams went in mid-October 2026, while Sainsbury's and Tesco held until the first week of November. The scramble for an earlier slot reflects how crowded and expensive festive attention has become.

Does using a licensed character or celebrity actually work?

It reliably buys attention and reduces the risk of being ignored, which matters. The catch is ownership: borrowed fame drives short-term cut-through but rarely builds a distinctive asset the brand keeps once the licence or the talent is gone.

Every November I watch brands spend a fortune renting attention they'll have to rent again next Christmas. The ones I admire are quietly building something they own — a character, a feeling, a line — that still works when the budget's gone. Borrowed fame opens the door. Earned emotion is what keeps people coming back. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing

Borrowed fame wins the first five seconds; earned emotion wins the next five years. Spend on the one you'll still own in 2029.

Which 2026 Christmas ad has actually stayed with you — and can you say why?

If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk

Sources: Creative Boom, Campaign, BBH London and New Commercial Arts campaign announcements.

Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute