Very has unveiled its Christmas advert for 2026, introducing a family of animated flamingos in its first campaign to combine CGI with AI-assisted animation.
The festive campaign, titled ‘That’s the Very Thing‘, follows a young flamingo on a hunt for his dream Christmas present, taking viewers through a series of fantasy worlds inspired by gifts available on Very.
Created by agency The Gate and produced by M3Labs, the 30-second film sees Very’s familiar pink box and cube logo transformed into a portal, transporting the young flamingo into the dream worlds of his family members before they reunite to celebrate Christmas.
The advert marks the latest outing for Very’s flamingo characters, which first appeared in its Christmas campaign in 2023.
Since their introduction, Very said recognition of its brand campaigns has doubled, alongside improvements in brand sentiment, trust and consideration.
This year’s advert is the retailer’s first to use a combination of CGI and AI-assisted animation, with director Peter Lee-Scott overseeing the production alongside M3Labs and The Gate.
Very said the approach allowed it to create a wider range of campaign assets while retaining the distinctive look of its animated characters.
The advert also received the retailer’s highest-ever score in pre-launch testing with System1, achieving a Star Rating of 5.9 and ranking among the top 1 per cent of retail adverts tested with its target audience.
The Very Group chief customer and commercial officer Sam Wright said: “Christmas is one of the most important times of the year for the families we serve, and we’re proud to be able to unveil our latest campaign which takes viewers on a journey to find the very thing to help make Christmas extra special.
“From showcasing the great range of gifts available across our online department store, to highlighting our flexible ways to pay, the new campaign spotlights Very as a Christmas shopping destination.”
The Gate chief executive Helen James added: “Very’s flamingo campaigns have been a firm favourite among customers since launching in 2023, having significant positive impacts on brand sentiment, trust and consideration, so evolving them was never about starting again – it was about giving them new life and a bigger stage.”
The Christmas campaign launched on 1 November across television, streaming, outdoor advertising, radio and digital channels.
Very will follow with its Black Friday campaign on 12 November, with further television advertising beginning on 21 November.
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