Green greetings and merry machine learning: The best agency Christmas cards of 2023

As the world sweltered through an intensely scorching summer, and with 2023 on track to be the hottest year on record, it’s no surprise that climate change has been a hot topic within the marketing and advertising sphere.

Ad agency AKQA’s ‘Fixmas’ holiday card celebrates renewal and giving sustainably this holiday season. To coincide with the image, there’s an AI-powered DIY assistant called Fixie that helps people to prolong the lives of their belongings or purchase pre-owned items.

Like last year, many people are still grappling with the cost of living crisis and Christmas will look different once again.

The purpose-driven agency Good’s Christmas card has gone outdoors this year. Through a QR code, people on London’s Great Suffolk Street will be able to donate to a great cause this festive period.

And if you’re feeling a little burned out from the last 12 months then Oliver agency is providing a little ASMR, or should we say XMA.S.M.R, respite.

AKQA

AKQA aims to reduce wastage and conserve precious resources by encouraging mending, repairing, and extending the lifespan of cherished belongings.

Good Agency

Good Agency wants to use its platform to shine a light on the work its clients do and encourage people to donate to a great cause this festive period.

Oliver Agency

Leading up to the holiday season is usually one of the busiest times for agencies and clients. To help people get through the chaos, Oliver has created an ‘XMA.S.M.R’ playlist.

Unwind with hit songs like You’re On Mute ft Silent Mic, relax to Hark The Printers Jammed and find inner peace with Snowed Under My Emails ft The Cc’s.

Squad

Manchester’s Squad gives a cheeky diss to the creative limitations of AI in its festive offering. Its Christmas card and the accompanying film of its production serve to remind us all of the very human craft skills we need to continue to embrace or we could be left with boringly generic and robotic work.

Neverland

This Christmas, each of Neverland’s clients and production partners will receive a tin of Fairy Dust. Included alongside this are simple instructions to sprinkle a little bit on all their briefs for 2024, to help them find that extra bit of special magic.

TrailerFarm

Known for its work with gaming clients, TrailerFarm has created a Christmas card that is also a love letter to retro games.

The studio started by designing a physical card, which its in-house motion graphics team then animated. The result shows Santa in his sleigh, fighting off boss snowmen to the tune of Jingle Bells while trying to get a festive message out.

Isobel

Indie agency Isobel traveled back in time to the 1970s for its annual festive card. As the shop puts it, in a chaotic world, it pays to be United. And so Isobel United FC was born, a retro Sunday league football team that didn’t quite make the 1970 World Cup.

Shot by the agency’s in-house production team, if you look closely you’ll notice the vintage wigs paired with a bespoke team strip. Also, good luck trying to decipher which facial hair is real or not.

Amplify

For years Santa Claus has been able to avoid detection during his yearly global outing to deliver presents. But in this accelerated world of intelligence and surveillance, creative agency Amplify became concerned that the North Pole's most famous resident could keep his work secret.

Inspired by anti-surveillance fashion, the team designed some new garments for Santa that are supposed to trick AI detection software into believing he is an animal, roaming the streets.

Hanson Dodge

Milwaukee's Hanson Dodge has developed a Christmas card that looks just like a laptop. Once opened, recipients see a desktop where the icons have been placed in the shape of a tree.

The message inside reads: “Thanks for keeping our hearts and our folders full this year. – Your friends at Hanson Dodge”.