Creative Works EMEA featuring McCann UK, Don't Panic, Proximity Barcelona and more

Kevin the Carrot, the cartoon vegetable whose alcohol consumption infamously ruffled the ASA, has returned to front Aldi’s Christmas campaign for a third year with a parody of Coca-Cola’s enduring Truck spot.

The supermarket has teased the release of its 2018 creative with a high-budget 40-second spot that ends in a literal cliff hanger.

The scene opens on a winter’s night as a red truck lit up in fairy lights winds through a snowy road. Music reminiscent of Coke’s ‘Holidays are Coming’ earworm plays as the camera pans onto Kevin at the wheel of the lorry.

All is merry and bright until an avalanche hits the bedazzled vehicle and knocks Kevin and his haul of carrots off the road. The scene closes as the truck dangles precariously over a cliff edge, while the hashtag #SaveKevin appears on screen.

Aldi confirmed that more work is to come, signifying it will again give its 2018 Christmas campaign a sequential releases.

McCann UK, Kevin’s original architect, created the spot. It will debut on ITV at 5.45pm tonight (2 November).

Amid growing competition from modern toys and the internet, Lego has stumped up for its ever global festive campaign to show how its humble brick can transport people of all ages into a kaleidoscopic, imaginary world. 

The toymaker has gone with the tagline: 'This is not a brick. It’s their wildest wishes’, underscoring the idea that there's a Lego set for everyone. 

This ethos is brought to life in a hero film, set to the sound of Johan Strauss II's The Blue Danube, which depicts kids' unwrapping Lego gifts before being transported into their own fantastical worlds.

Created in-house by the brand, the colourful, action movie-esque film features scenes encompassing a variety of interests from Star Wars to police cars, dinosaurs to animals.

The ad will hit UK TV screens on 5 November, accompanied by an extensive search strategy which will see 'passion point' landing pages introduced on Lego.com to drive a link between kids' interests and Lego's collection. 

A Facebook chatbot called Raplh and an AR filter will also be available for children and their parents to play around with in the run up to Christmas. 

Currys PC World has unveiled its Christmas ad that highlights how technology can help unlock the magic of Christmas as it positions itself as the tech retailer of choice this festive season. 

The ad, created by BBDO, follows a traditional festive format, with a digital twist, juxtaposing well-known Christmas traditions, with tech innovations from recognizable brands. 

With various scenes of festive traditions, you now no longer have to imagine what the Victorian era would have looked like if technology existed.

The advert opens with a Victorian woman entertaining a house guest in a festive parlour. To the bemusement of her butler, the lady calls out to her Google Home Hub: “Hey Google!” before requesting, “play some Christmas music!” - upon which the merry tune of ‘Good King Wenceslas’ fills the room.

Numerous traditional festive scenes then unfold - each demonstrating the potential of modern-day technology to upgrade Christmas.

From Christmas carolers reading off Microsoft Surface Pro tablets in place of hymn books to two lovers sharing a kiss beneath mistletoe held by a drone, the ad slides over to a public-house where Victorian pub dwellers enjoy a football game displayed on a large LG TV screen.

Moving up to through the floorboards, a Scrooge-like character sits upstairs. Whilst he remains awake by the raucous football congregation downstairs, thanks to Bose noise cancelling headphones, his wife sleeps peacefully by his side.

Parents are invited to look into the future in Very.co.uk’s Christmas campaign using the strapline ‘find the gift that helps them find their gift’. A magical, animated film titled ‘Elsie’s gift’, created by St Luke’s, has launched on 1 November to kick off the festive season.

The film opens with a young girl playing with a toy rocket. Her parents notice her interest and when Christmas Day arrives, the girl is thrilled when unwrapping her presents to receive a toy astronaut helmet. We then follow her journey as her interest in the universe and space travel grows, eventually taking her to university to study astrophysics. The ad finishes with her aged parents staring up into the stars knowing their daughter is fulfilling her dreams as an astronaut, looking back down at earth.

The multi-media campaign, which will run for two months, is backed by activity on digital channels, mobile, VOD, print and out-of-home advertising alongside the 30-second TVC. Media, planned and bought by Vizeum aims to build an emotional connection with Miss Very; TV will deliver high reach at key family moments, incorporating inspirational programming that aligns to the creative platform of helping others find their gift. On 3 November, the 30-second TVC 'Elsie’s Gift' will appear within the X-Factor break, and on the 6 November is in a network spot within the Pride of Britain Awards.

Cineworld, the nation’s leading cinema chain, is taking inspiration from the magic of Mary Poppins to create a truly magical Christmas campaign this year. The campaign launches with an advert that will premiere in cinemas on Thursday 1st November.

Produced by creative agency TWELVE and award-winning production company Pink Banana, the advert called “A Christmas Wish” weaves in the magic from Mary Poppins Returns which lands in Cineworld cinemas on the 21st December. Focusing on the story of two young children, reminiscent of Michael and Jane from the classic Disney film, it is a vivid portrayal of the power of wish-making as told through the eyes of children, who want nothing more than to give their parents a night out for two.

The Home Office has launched a campaign to combat verbal and physical attacks on people according to their race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or transgender identity, and demonstrate how such actions equate to hate crime. 

It's a sad reality that hate crime is a regular occurrence on the streets of the UK, with perpetrators failing to register the severity and knock-on effects of their actions.

Created by M&C Saatchi London, the creative focuses on behaviours that are already criminal such as aggressive verbal abuse and harassment, but due to their hate-based motivation, fall into the 'hate crime' bracket. 

The ad covers different situations where hate crime may occur in day-to-day life, such as a woman being targeted due to her hijab and a man being taunted for his wheelchair. 

To register the criminal nature of the perpetrators, their faces are replaced by police e-fit style images. 

The ad concludes with one of the attackers getting approached by police outside his house. Over the top of the action, a voiceover explains how targeting anyone with verbal, online or physical abuse because of their religion, race, sexual orientation, disability or transgender identity could be a hate crime.

The final line: “It’s not just offensive. It’s an offence.” 

Timberland has launched a spectacular new augmented reality activation to promote its new ‘CityRoam’ collection. Created by experiential innovation agency, Wildbytes, the activation invites urban explorers to discover their city from a fresh perspective. The innovative concept was developed in line with Timberland’s communication strategy, which echoes the brand’s exciting evolution from its rich outdoor legacy to its more casual lifestyle offering.

Taking place in Madrid’s central Callao Square, the incredible activation transformed the space into a breath-taking urban jungle. Using the enormous 101-metres-squared LED screen as an interactive AR mirror, the unsuspecting public was treated to an unforgettable experience that empowered them to be the star of their own urban adventure.

After building anticipation with a countdown, the beginning of the large-scale interactive game was announced with a dramatic reveal on the LED screen, showing a giant version of Timberland’s ‘Alpine Chukka’ boot falling from the sky onto the square. The audience was encouraged to participate by jumping and gesturing to throw the AR boot back up into the air – making it react in real-time to their movements. The activation closes with the footwear’s tagline – ‘Be Light, Be Fast, Be Free’ – and a polaroid showing secret locations in Madrid, encouraging participants to view their city from a new perspective.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and independent creative agency, Don’t Panic have created an interactive virtual reality experience that brings the audience into the home of a war-torn family.

'The Right Choice' takes viewers into the home of a family in living amid war. The experience shows users what a normal life looks like for the characters, before asking what they should do when they're suddenly confronted with a horrifying moment of danger. Observing the situation through a virtual reality experience, downloadable to a tablet or phone, the audience becomes complicit in the decision and quickly realise that they are unable to help the family; whatever decision they make, there is no escape from the horror of war.

Using VR with gaze-based interactivity, the app is able to immerse the viewer and put them in the driving seat; making them totally complicit in the decision-making, yet unable to help once the decision has been made. This autonomous decision-making hopes to give the viewer a sense of responsibility for the family, and consequently a feeling of empathy around the helplessness of their situation.

The Right Choice is available to download via the Google Play Store and the app store.

Underwear brand Heist Studios, famed for its seamless tights, has teased a venture into shapewear with a tongue-in-cheek video that shows comics struggling, sweating and squeezing themselves into traditional control underwear.

Australian comedian Celeste Barber – who has gained a mammoth Instagram following for parodying ridiculous celebrity photoshoots –  is among the famous faces who showcase just how hard getting into garments that promise to slim and smooth is.

"Arrgghhhh"; "like a sausage"; "my kidneys hurt" and "I feel  like I can't breathe when I wear these" were among the reactions from the lineup. ​