Marks & Spencer Christmas advert 2014: Magic and Sparkle bring festive cheer in new campaign

M&S have their work cut out to rival John Lewis' latest viral effort

Marks and Spencer is bringing some fairy magic to the Christmas advert this year (Marks and Spencer)

It's not all about the John Lewis Christmas ad, alright? Rival retailer Marks and Spencer launched their own schmaltzy festive campaign today and, while there may be no cute penguins called Monty involved, there are two fairies named Magic and Sparkle instead.

Yes it is as nausea-inducing as it sounds, but it's quite good fun too and sure enough, also comes with its own Twitter hashtag, #followthefairies.

Set to Julie London's version of "Fly Me To The Moon", the advert follows the two magical girls as they clock in for work at the Fairy Factory before flying across the country to spread some Christmas spirit with a click of their glitter-filled fingertips.

TV viewers can catch the clip when it premieres during The X Factor on Saturday night, a day after John Lewis' effort debuts during Channel 4's Gogglebox.

M&S has been giving their ad a strong push on social media, setting up an intriguing Twitter account @thetwofairies that only tweets in rhyme.

Gift boxes have been delivered to some lucky people who post wishes on Twitter and all week, the fairies have been visiting cities to deliver presents to those in need of some smiles.

The commercial ends with the rather cheesy strapline: "Christmas is better with Magic and Sparkle".

"The magic of Christmas is how it brings out that little part in all of us that wants to believe the extraordinary," said Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne, executive director of marketing and international at M&S.

"It's a moment to escape the realities of everyday and give in to the joyfulness of the festive spirit. We wanted to capture that feeling and bring Magic and Sparkle to life in a fun and light-hearted way that spreads a little cheer."

Magic and Sparkle bring Christmas cheer in the M&S Christmas ad (Marks and Spencer)

Despite their best attempts, M&S has its work cut out to trump John Lewis for YouTube views. Their 2013 Christmas ad Sparkle the Dog notched up 132,000 views compared to John Lewis' 13.2 million for The Bear and the Hare.

John Lewis' new ad, Monty's Christmas, has racked up an impressive 4 million YouTube views in just 24 hours. It sees adorable little boy Sam present his penguin pal Monty with a penguin lover called Mabel after he becomes sad and lonely.

British singer-songwriter Tom Odell provides the soundtrack with his rendition of John Lennon's "Real Love".