Hanukkah Is Still Missing from Holiday Ads

The fuzzy Coca-Cola polar bears. Those jingling Hershey Kisses playing a tune. A snowman terrifyingly melting his face off and turning into a real boy for Campbell’s. It’s December, and we’re in the middle of the yearly holiday ad crunch. But as someone who has always celebrated Christmas and Hanukkah equally, this year I have to wonder; where are all the Hanukkah ads? 

In case you’ve been in a Christmas bubble your entire life, Hanukkah, which starts on Christmas day this year is a Jewish festival which lasts eight crazy nights (I couldn’t write this piece without one Adam Sandler reference). As the story goes, when the Jews discovered their temple had been ransacked by the powerful King Antiochus, they surveyed the damage, only finding one jar of oil left in the destruction. The oil miraculously burned for eight nights, and, in the simplest explanation ever, we have the celebration of Hanukkah. This holiday is sometimes referred to as the festival of lights. I think the Rugrats might actually summarise this better.

I was taught that Hanukkah is less about religious values and more about identity. Plus a ton of gifts (8 to be exact, one for each night the oil burned), the delicious latke making sessions, and catchy songs. Oh, and gambling with your relatives for the coveted gelt, which are small chocolate shaped coins wrapped in gold foil. Right next to our Christmas tree every year sat a large Dreidel tree, custom made out of a coat rack and cardboard. 

Overall I see Hanukkah as a big celebration and, when you take uplifting circumstances, it frequently translates well in advertising. And I always appreciate when a brand speaks to people’s lifestyles directly. As of 2020, around 7.5 million Jews live in the US, so it’s a decent enough size market for advertising.

But there have only been a few Hanukkah campaigns of years past that I can point to. In fact, in researching this article, I expected to find many more. One of my favourites was Pornhub celebrating 8 nights of free premium subscriptions with this very Safe for Work ad.

And while a much older commercial, this Hallmark spot incorporates Hanukkah while transcending any religious connotations, and successfully resonates with everyone. I’m not crying… you’re crying. 

Elsewhere, Walmart created an online ad showing the struggle of topping previous nights Hanukkah gifts, and also had a spot that cast a wide net of holiday celebrations, menorah lighting included. While not Hanukkah related whatsoever, I always liked the amalgam of cultures - including Jews - in this catchy Levi’s spot. So many well-crafted butt shots!

So, those few Hanukkah ads above are kind of it. Mind you, we’ve seen other non-Christian festivities take center stage. Día de Muertos with Doritos is one of my favourite visual spots of all time. And Apple crafted a very slick ad using the end of Ramadan as the setting. But Coke hasn’t tapped into the sharable latke-making party trend. Disney isn’t showing a family lighting up a Menorah at one of their on-site resorts while spending the holidays in the parks. And Meta isn’t showing spots of people snapping pics of Dreidel wins and posting them all over IG. 

Big box stores, on the other hand, have tapped into Hanukkah to great success, with merch becoming a major business in recent years. Target’s Hanukkah section seems to grow every season, filled with fun puns like Happy-Challah Days. Michaels has some great tchotchke-esque small items. And even big cities like New York and Chicago are hosting Hanukkah-themed pop-up bars. New studies have shown the majority of Jews who have married in recent years have a partner who is not Jewish. I include myself in that list. So the inter-holiday celebration is real. 

Even Hallmark and Netflix have hopped on the Hanukkah train with terribly cheesy yet oh so bingeable movie options. My millennial heart still holds a special place for the 2003 Disney Channel original movie Full Court Miracle.

I suspect, as of late, there is a big elephant in the room regarding making commercials centered around Jewish culture; the Israel-Gaza conflict. It’s an incredibly sensitive time for various communities and I understand why brands would want to stay away from anything remotely political in our current climate. 

But I also tend to think most brands are terrified of being cancelled, which limits them from exploring various cultures within their line of work. With commercials, there’s an importance to having the ads we see reflect the current world around us, and plenty of us Jews still live and practice here in the US. It is possible to separate culture, customs, and traditions from politics. I, for one, always appreciate seeing my culture portrayed on screen, like the recent success of one of the top shows on Netflix - Nobody Wants This - which places Jewish traditions front and center.

Christmas isn’t risky. And even less so are feel-good spots with a wintery backdrop, accompanied by a few sleigh bells jingling in the background. I’m also fine with mass commercialization of cultural things, as, to be blunt, it keeps me employed. For many (myself included) Christmas is about coming together, appreciating what we have, and is devoid of religion completely. 

But diversity of all forms in advertising is always important. I realise this holiday is still in the minority when it comes to the festive season. But for some reason Hanukkah hasn’t broken through as much as I would have expected within the realm of produced content. 

I think the spirit of Hanukkah translates beyond Judaism, as it’s more than entered the pop-culture zeitgeist. So, perhaps once the political climate cools down somewhat (although will it…?) we’ll see more Hanukkah ads enter our orbit. I for one would love the opportunity to incorporate my culture in a spot I create. Because after all, who doesn’t love a festival devoted to lights?