Author

By Steve Vranakis, executive creative director

December 12, 2012 | 3 min read

Behind the windows of this very special Drum adVENT Calendar you’ll find a different member of the creative industry venting their feelings on a Christmas ad, or ads, they love or loathe. Today it’s Steve Vranakis, creative director EMEA, Creative Lab, Google.

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.This advert has captured the insight as well as executed the idea brilliantly without causing offence to anyone. It almost endorses this type of behaviour! Unlike myself…So if you’re one of the ones who need to ‘carry on’ long after the party and after party and are still looking for places to keep grooving well into the next day, at least you’ll find comfort in knowing that there’s a place that will make the following morning that much more shameless.Steve Vranakis works for Google Creative Lab as the creative director for Europe, Middle East and Africa. Steve joined Google Creative Lab in 2011 from VCCP where he spent eight years overseeing campaigns for the likes of O2, Coca-Cola and Comparethemarket.com. At Google Steve tries to make cool stuff that matters.Weapon7 creative director Jeremy Garner tells us a tale of two Christmas ads in his 11 December adVENT.
The Drum Harvey Nichols

More from The Drum

View all