Heathrow is in a lot of Brits' bad books over its proposed expansion. But in the run-up to Christmas, the airport is looking to get back into people’s good graces with a heart-warming ad that taps into growing desires to escape the UK for the first festive season following Brexit.

Has the crop of Christmas ads in 2015 delivered more of the branded values we saw in 2014? Canvas8 spoke to Alex Gordon, CEO of Sign Salad, about why, this year, these ads are split between those who want to keep the magic alive and those offering something more knowing.

Christmas seems to come earlier every year – or at least the marketing and advertising frenzy that precedes it. Festive madness is becoming even more all-conquering since the arrival of Black Friday in the UK, but how has the way Brits shop and think about Christmas changed?

From wistful penguins, to overworked mums and even trench warfare, this year Christmas adverts tug at our heartstrings harder than ever. We sat down with Dr. Alex Gordon, semiotician and founder of Sign Salad to discuss the meaning behind the media magic.