How This Christmas Spot Celebrates Inclusivity
A time of bright lights, festive jingles, plenty of colour and lots of commotion, Christmas can be rather overwhelming for the neurodivergent community. With so many distractions, people who struggle to adapt may find that this ‘cheery’ time of year is rather stressful, which is what the Dutch online retailer bol wanted to explore in this festive spot.
Following a set of grandparents seen taking down their hoards of decorations, the audience begins to question exactly why Christmas is ending early for the duo. Set to a cover of the song ‘It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas’, the visuals on the screen show the opposite - trains on tracks are unplugged, Santas deflated and lights are taken down as a car begins to approach the home.
As we learn, the grandparents are readying themselves to have their granddaughter over, someone who is clearly overwhelmed and struggling to cope with the excess flashing lights and decorations, and who visibly relaxes once a calm stillness is restored. The touching spot is a gentle reminder that perhaps an over the top Christmas isn’t for everyone.
To hear more about the process behind the scenes, bol’s brand communications marker Chung Hwa Chao and DEPT’s associate creative director Tim Menko speak to LBB’s Nisna Mahtani.
LBB> bol’s latest campaign showcases a Christmas with a difference. Why did you want to tackle a bit more of a non-traditional angle this year? (bol & DEPT®)
Chung & TIm> Christmas has always been portrayed a certain way (classical table setting, people laughing, a love story, or cute animals), but for many people, this is not the reality. We wanted to represent those who experience the holidays differently and make it special in their unique way
LBB> Talk to us about some of the strategies and insights that informed 2023’s Christmas spot.
Chung & Tim> We knew we wanted to see how Dutchies and Belgians could make Christmas more beautiful in unique and inclusive ways, but we weren’t sure what that looked like. We aimed to find authentic insights by talking to people who experience Christmas differently from what we usually see on television. With the help of Studio Samen, an agency specialising in inclusive communication, we could listen to and represent those voices (culture, religion, age, and sexual preference) that are normally never heard in Christmas advertising. One thing that kept coming back was that while the masses seem to love extravagant Christmas celebrations (and corresponding decorations), there are a lot of people to whom this is particularly challenging.
LBB> The voiceover in the campaign is done by Bente Fokkens, who has a personal connection to the storyline as someone who’s been diagnosed with ADD herself. What did this bring to the spot?
Chung> Bente has been vocal about her struggles with her overstimulated brain in mainstream media, which helped break the stigma. With her star rising, we knew she would be the perfect match for our campaign. She makes it more round, authentic, and real.
LBB> In creating this new take, our protagonists are seen deflating Santas and taking down lights. How did you ensure you tackled this in a way that showed it was a compassionate way of considering others?
Tim> With the juxtaposition of the song (it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas), you’re constantly left with the question: “Why are they taking down everything?”. You can see they’re a bit reluctant at first but getting more into the swing of things along the way. The narrative builds towards the climax revealing that everything was done out of compassion for the granddaughter, demonstrating the special love and sacrifice made for their grandchildren. This love is, for us, the ultimate representation of compassionate love, something that is echoed by the many positive comments.
LBB> The lighting in this spot plays a real part in conveying not only the Christmas timing but also the ambience of the storyline which takes place. How did you go about creating the aesthetic?
Tim> There was quite a bit of debate about the intensity of the lights and decoration. It was important to show that this was a Christmas-crazy couple with decorations stuffed in every corner of their house. We didn’t want the final celebrations to feel completely cold; research has shown that this also wouldn't be completely true to what a neurodivergent child would want. It’s not that black and white. So we kept Christmas cosiness, but much more stripped down. The money shot, and most challenging, was turning off the lights as the car passed by. This required a couple of takes to get right.
LBB> You use quite a traditional song as the backing track, which then gets a little remix, much like the Christmas festivities. Can you share a little bit about the audio process?
Tim> Music was one of the biggest debates. We tried other heartfelt acoustic tracks to dial up the sentiment, but that took away some of the laughs. Testing proved that the current song, an upbeat duet, was a crowd favourite with the neuro test crowd. The music tells the story of the grandfather and granddaughter. We start with the male voice representing him, and then the track focuses on a more delicate female voice as the granddaughter takes over in the storyline.
LBB> How does the spot align with bol as a brand, and its visions and values as a company?
Chung> It was quite the balancing act. Bol has been known for dry and lighthearted Dutch and Belgian humour for over 20 years. The holidays offer a leeway into a more emotional narrative; however, neurodivergence is quite a delicate subject. Bol is known to be at the forefront of DE&I in Benelux with their slogan “the store for everyone”. They often show positive role models such as Princess Papa, yet this felt more like a statement than before. We had to deliver the ideal mix of comedy, making a statement while still staying down-to-earth.
LBB> Running across both the Netherlands and Belgium, how did you consider the wider reach of the audience, and how did this factor into the use of subtitles, etc?
Tim> It wasn’t our main goal to gain an international audience, yet the powerful emotive narrative speaks to a universal audience. Bol commercials are often without heavy dialogue, and this one is no different. Subtitles are only really needed for the remark that ties the whole ad together. In Dutch, she says “prikkels” which both means prickly and stimuli, so she plays a little prank on Grandpa and defuses the situation.
LBB> What was the most challenging part of creating this spot and how did you overcome it through the process?
Tim> How can we show an inclusive Christmas done in a bol way: lighthearted, funny but now also highlighting a serious topic. Will this mix and will our audience appreciate this more sentimental route? This was unchartered territory for us. It took quite a while to get everyone aligned. Meanwhile, the creative department had to be agile. Let’s just say we had a couple of additional presentations to get where we needed to be.
LBB> How have the local and international audiences reacted to the spot so far? Are there any memorable comments you’ve seen?
Chung & Tim> The reactions have been overwhelming. The customer service at bol has been flooded with emails from parents of autistic children in tears because they finally see representation. The neurodivergent community and parents have left their gratitude on YouTube, X, and other channels. They say that they have finally been heard and are moved by the campaign. But it also has a universal appeal for a broader audience with the grandparents' love for their granddaughter and the sense of compassion during Christmas.
LBB> Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Chung & Tim> It’s not just about this commercial, it’s such a rich campaign. Naturally, this 60” spot is the big eye-catcher, but it’s a true platform-first strategy. In this way, a wide variety of assets has been cleverly specified to the various target groups. We see our Christmas makers in the TVC, but also in other capacities in online videos, (D)OOH digital experiences, influencer partnerships, a snap lens game, Meta, TikTok, and so much more. And also: let’s all try harder to explore more diverse, inclusive, and stereotype-breaking advertising.
