The Drum's Christmas Crackers: creatives share their festive picks from ads old and new
Friends of The Drum reveal the Christmas ads they love and loathe.
Daniele Fiandaca: John Lewis 'For gifts you can't wait to give' (2011)
Let’s face it, the joy of Christmas as a kid is getting presents, but as you get older, you realise that the best thing about the season is actually the giving of presents. That moment of joy when my niece and nephew open their presents is priceless (albeit short-lived before they quickly move onto the next one). What this ad did was bring to life our joy of being a child again, with the clever added twist of an adult ‘giving’ perspective.
It’s completely baffling that Coca Cola’s Christmas commercial trends on Twitter, Coca Cola don’t make a new commercial each year. Instead they run an ad that’s so old, I haven’t been able to ascertain its age – I suspect carbon dating may be required.The sight of those trucks makes me think more of pollution more seasonal good will. The cute little Christmassy town must smell like a busy ferry terminal once those trucks have rolled through its picturesque hills. As the gleeful public come out to greet the convoy, asthma sufferers must remain in their houses rocking themselves gently back and forth as they remember sucking on their inhalers in a desperate bid to avoid hospitalisation the previous year.But easily the most annoying thing about this lazy annual event is that it works. The public genuinely love this commercial. It tells them that “Christmas is on the way”. It feels positively Scrooge-like to condemn a piece of advertising that provokes so much affection but to borrow a phrase from the lyricist of John Lewis’s 2011 Christmas commercial...“I can’t help the way that I feel”.
Christmas ads are a tricky old business. You either have to punch hard in the media weight category or get your elbows out and muscle your way through with great creative to get noticed. In the battle of the major retailers, the Harvey Nichols 'Sorry I Spent It On Myself' ad stands out the most for me. Despite a distinct disadvantage in terms of spend, the work is unexpected, tongue-in-cheek, and completely in line with everything they stand for. It strikes a perfect balance of comedy and class. As ridiculous as the gifts may be (Authentic Lincolnshire gravel might take the top spot) they reportedly sold out within a couple of hours – a testament to the power of the creative. In a sea of ads working so hard to be heart-warming and real, it's refreshing to see Harvey Nichols playing with the format.
IRN BRU’s Snowman ad from 2007. My countrymen have apparently voted it the best ad ever made. And I’ve got to say that it’s a serious contender.Like all of IRN BRU’s great work, it was created by the Leith Agency in Edinburgh. When I started in the industry, that was my dream agency. And 20 years later, it’s still Scotland’s finest ad factory, thanks to their brilliant creative director, Gerry Farrell.The ad itself is a masterpiece. It’s wonderfully written, beautifully animated and gives you a whistlestop tour of Scotland. It takes the Raymond Briggs Christmas classic and adds the more human characteristics of selfishness and spite. It’s a whole story of friendship, bonding and betrayal crammed into 60 seconds. And the product is at the centre of all the action.In short, I wish I’d done it.So I unexpectedly find myself praising a beautifully crafted piece of perfection. Please join me in raising a glass (of non-fluorescent orange liquid) to my fellow Scots.Slàinte!
“Why, hello. Happy Holidizzle y’all”.You have to love a Christmas ad that opens with a line like this. Especially when it comes from Snoop doing his best Bing Crosby seated in a high-back next to a roaring log fire. Festive gold.The Cautionary Tale of Ebenezer Snoop and his lost holiday spirit is a daft mix of camp crimbo live action and Beavis and Butthead animation that reworks the classic tale. It features a cast of animated sporting greats as Christmas spirits past, present and future. “Bah humbizzle.” Apparently Ebenezer Snoop has stopped spending time with his crew. And consequently, according to a rather awkward sounding David Beckham ‘things just aren’t the same when you’re not in the game”.Anyway, as I’m sure you know, the moral of the tale is to remember to make time for friends and loved ones and to not get lost up your own self-important back-side.To be honest, I’m not altogether clear what Adidas has to do with any of this, other than to cameo it’s sponsored stars, but then it is Christmas so I guess the normal rules don’t really apply. Perhaps it’s a sign of the times that even Adidas have chosen to put out such a heart-warming bit of Christmas fluff instead of a more too cool urban carol.After all, who isn’t in need of a little bit of happy holidizzle fun right now?
We’ve all been there before. It’s happened to the best of us and it doesn’t get any easier nor acceptable the older you get...obviously what I mean is, the last minute scrambling to find something new and festive to wear during the holiday season.If there were ever a good reason to get yourself some new rags, it has to be to look your best during the inevitable annual walk of shame that explodes in popularity around this time of year. The cause is not entirely known but experts believe that the annual ritual known as the "staff Christmas party" is a key contributor and has been known to cause inappropriate levels of interaction between co-workers as well as the complete obliteration of reporting lines between management and the rest of their staff.Many a moon ago I was living in south London. Being an early bird (not) and having to take my little ones for a morning stroll near to the Common, I would witness first hand many a questionable behavior by individuals from the ‘night before’. Forget the heels in hand and glittery handbags, I’m talking about abseiling from fire escapes in full frocks and big hair, trying to make unnoticed exits whilst I shielded the eyes of my toddler and then baby.You see there’s nothing wrong with this type of thing. Most of us are guilty of it at some point in our lives… you just need to make sure that you look the part.
I love a bit of sentimentalism me, I also love the song 'Pure Imagination' from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Particularly when it’s in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Not when it’s the soundtrack to a Black Forest Cheesecake, some dodgy looking duck spring rolls and NEW salmon ‘crowns’ whatever the hell they are.To be fair, the little girl is very sweet. But not as saccharin as the tartar inducing desserts piled up on a table that gives me dyspepsia just by looking at it.Is it just me or does the star of the show, the food, not look that great? Do I want to eat any of it? Even when I’ve drunk a bottle of Prosecco, two snowballs and a vat of red wine? No.The ad looks about as expensive as the food. But I guess that’s the point. No -frills fare that won’t cost more than a couple of bob, that all your pissed rellies will eventually wolf down.
My choice is actually a very creative ad. Well, creative in the sense that putting anthrax into a party-popper is creative, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.So get ready for…drumroll…The Mr Kipling Nativity TV spot. Anyone remember it? I can’t forget the thing. Essentially it’s a particularly graphic birthing scenario that turns out to be a nativity play. Directed by Mr Kipling, who it seems is better at fondant fancies than nativity plays. (Although having tasted some of Mr K’s confectionary this isn’t as cut and dried as it seems.)So, why do I loathe it so much?Well, it’s not because having a nativity play performed by adults stretches credibility somewhat.Nor is it the gag that, in a sketch show, may raise a weak smile.It’s not on religious grounds, although it seems a little distasteful. What next, the Easter crucifixion spot for B&Q half-price timber?It’s not even badly shot. Indeed, if Mr Kipling did direct it someone should sign him up.And it’s not the weakness of the whole idea – Mr Kipling’s rubbish at nativity plays etc, but great at cakes. Which is like saying Sweeney Todd wasn’t much of a barber, but he made lovely pies.No, it’s the vanity and arrogance that forced something so wrong through whatever passed for an approvals process. I don’t blame the creative team. Our Cannes-obsessed culture breeds this sort of thing and you can see them excitedly getting their dinner suits cleaned in anticipation. But what did it do for the brand or the sales? It just feels like a case of ‘let’s do something that will make us famous’ rather than ‘let’s do something famous that will work’.It’s little wonder that clients sometimes view their agencies with such suspicion.Tidings of comfort and joy to you all.
Too many brands make a dash for our wallets in this buying season by showcasing their products – singing doughballs, multiple uses for sellotape, and sad little families watching Sky TV – covered in tacky glitter. But amongst them, the brands that focus on being consumer-centric and embrace the spirit of the season make me smile, get goosebumpely, or even shed a tear. They’re the brands with which I’ll spend my cash. At the top of the list is John Lewis’ beautifully animated tale in the spirit of giving (I would never have guessed the ending), followed very closely by Sainsbury’s compilation of real-world Christmas moments we can all relate to (*tear*). Both made me believe without thrusting a product in my face. And lastly, I can appreciate the humour and left-of-field strategy from Harvey Nichols (see Ryan Newey's pick), so I’d share a mulled wine with them too. Merry Christmas.