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Friday, December 03, 2010

Merry Christmas

The Goose is getting fat....

It's that time of the year again when all the ads start to look remarkably similar.

The Christmas ads are here.

At first glance it doesn't feel as if there's actually that much to say about the Christmas ads. This isn't really the season for game changing work. It seems the creative brief for most Christmas ads is 'Make people feel warm, loved and slightly whimsical' (exactly what I imagine Richard Curtis has written as a reminder on a post it above his computer whenever writing a screenplay)

Of course the model Christmas ad, and the one which comes up time and time again in groups at this time of year, is the Coke ad. Repeated and still much loved, it' so syrupy you can put it on your pancakes.

So, if this isn't the time to do anything revolutionary, how can brands stand out at Christmas? After all this is a vital time for the High Street

Christmas work seems to walk a tightrope between trying to stand out and not breaking the cosiness of the season. It seems there are a couple of ways 2010's Christmas offering have tried to do this;

1. Celebrity in a slightly unusual context

While M&S' efforts with Peter Kay are perhaps more instantly recognizable it is not alone in seeing the potential for sparking interest with a well known face in a slightly surprising context, Derek Jacobi's in Sony's Christmas campaign is no less arresting. In many ways Sony's use of Jacobi is more interesting. It's not immediately apparent that it is Jacobi and when it becomes so he brings a gravitas and sophistication that is at odds with most of the fluffy Christmas fun.

2. Music

While the overall tone of Christmas ads seems to be sacrosanct the music used to create it is certainly not. There is a pleasing lack of Slade or Wizard in the Christmas ads this year. Brands seem to be being a bit cleverer when choosing music. Looking beyond the obvious and the trite. Last year John Lewis really set the bar when they created a wonderfully gooey Christmas mood that could make any parents heart ache with a Guns 'n' Roses song. This idea then carried on with 'Always a Woman' (which I was a bit nervous about watching the office as I feared I might reveal just what a soppy tart I am). And then, this Christmas they've used a cover of 'Your Song' to create another offering as rich, glossy and comforting as a Chocolate cake

3.Very Gentle Humour

There is space to have a bit of fun with a Christmas ad within the aforementioned confines. The important thing is that the humour should all be safely contained and playful rather than challenging. It should almost be laughing at itself. As already mentioned M&S have Peter Kay bringing a smile in what would otherwise be a fairly standard (though impressive) M&S effort. There is no real biting satire here though, there's a fat bloke from Bolton pretending to be a camp dance teacher. Argos' humour comes from twisting a familiar Christmas image. Bing Crosby as a ghetto star is not earth shattering satire and the technology used is to create the image hardly cutting edge but it is silly. Finally, Tesco do have a discernible victim in the absurd Amanda Holden but it's harmless Keeping Up Appearance style stuff. Holden's snobbish sister is as awful but slightly endearing as Hyacinth Bucket in a campaign which confirms my suspicion that Mark 'I was that close to making it in Hollywood' Addy is becoming a poor man's Geoffrey (Onslow) Hughes

Again, none of these are game changing but they do create an added level of interest and help these ads to stand out just a little bit in a sea of safe toasty warmth.

Merry Christmas

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