Work of the Week: 11/11/22
It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas campaigns! This week has been a landslide of festive fun from the likes of John Lewis, Aldi, Toys“R”Us, PENNY, McDonald's, and the list goes on.
Marking the largest holiday of the year, the UK’s highly awaited John Lewis campaign launched, with a purposeful message behind this year’s festive spot. Following a foster dad, as he takes on a new skateboarding hobby, it’s to our surprise that he’s teaching himself the skill so that he can make a new family member feel more welcome. With all the warm and fuzzy feelings of Christmas at the heart of things, many have said the retailer has got the tone ‘just right’ this year.
German supermarket PENNY released ‘The Rift’ with agency Serviceplan and director Seb Edwards, showcasing the destructive polarisation of society. Toxic divisions and the heightened stress of the covid fallout and fuel crisis are turned into an ambitious and wonderfully crafted feat of filmmaking as the supermarket follows on from last year's success with ‘The Wish’.
Our favourite carrot, Kevin, also returns in Aldi's ad that embodies all things Christmas, in an entertaining homage to festive flick, 'Home Alone'. And elsewhere, Toys“R”Us gives life back to imaginary friends, McDonald’s prioritises shared moments between family and Pinterest eliminates bad gift-giving.
All of that and more from O2, Tesco, Clemenger and more feature in this week’s creative finest.
John Lewis - The Beginner
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Releasing its hotly anticipated campaign, department store John Lewis partnered with adam&eveDDB and Biscuit Filmworks to highlight foster care children in ‘The Beginner’. The campaign follows a big-hearted father who takes on a hobby in anticipation of a newly arriving family member. With storytelling at the forefront of this spot, it’s one that certainly captures the Christmas spirit.
Aldi - Will Kevin Be Home Alone This Christmas?
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This week also saw Kevin the Carrot return to our screens in Aldi’s homage to the Christmas classic, 'Home Alone'. In the spot created by McCann, Kevin is forgotten on a family holiday and left at home with an abundance of food during the holiday season. When he senses intruders around him, Kevin’s attention turns to makeshift booby traps to scare away the unwelcome guests. With familiar scenes and nostalgic nods to the movie, Kevin winds up being rescued by Santa and his family – but not without a cheeky innuendo thrown in for good measure.
Toys“R”Us - Imagination Included: Mr. Ferguson
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Across the pond, Toys“R”Us Canda and Broken Heart Love Affair also took the audience on a Christmas adventure, with plenty of laughs thrown in. As 'paramedics' from the toy store work tirelessly to revive an imaginary bunny friend named ‘Mr. Ferguson’, Toys“R”Us taps into our childhood memories and leaves us wondering why we ever left our imaginary friends behind.
Penny - The Rift
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Following on from last year’s award-winning ‘The Wish’ campaign, German supermarket chain Penny and Serviceplan Germany return with 2022’s take on Christmas. Emphasising our differences and conveying them through some visually stunning VFX, this year's festive campaign encourages us to see each other's differences and come together, rather than fall apart. The hard-hitting spot captures the mood as the world goes into a Christmas period which seems to be like no other.
McDonald's - The Alternative Christmas List
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As a child, did you ever sit down and dream up a Christmas list? With anything and everything going down on a piece of paper, it often seemed like the possibilities were endless and Santa’s sleigh would be entirely filled. This year, McDonald's and Leo Burnett UK came together this year with Smuggler director and Academy Award-winner Tom Hooper, to create ‘The Alternative Christmas List’. After a young boy’s massive list of presents is ripped away from him by the wind, he subsequently finds meaning and Christmas joy in a shared family moment.
Pinterest - Gift Like You Get Them
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Pinterest partners with creative agency Funworks on 'Gift Like You Get Them', a holiday campaign to put an end to bad gifting, one present at a time. Showing how people can use Pinterest features like ‘Boards’ and ‘Search’ to be better gifters, the series of campaigns explore re-gifters, last-minute gifters, the ones who want the presents for themselves and even the ones that don’t quite understand the person they’re buying for.
O2 - Snowgran
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Gifting an additional one million gigabytes of data to those in need this festive season, O2, VCCP London and Blinkink's Joseph Mann team up to create a heart-warming, snow-melting spot. Following a granny who feels isolated this Christmas, the campaign shows how isolating it is to be in data poverty and explores the benefits of having connectivity. As two million UK households are now at risk of digital exclusion, the ‘Snowgran’ campaign aims to raise further awareness of the National Databank and support more people in need.
Tesco - The Christmas Party
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The UK’s political scene is quite frankly, a mess. In comes supermarket Tesco and BBH with ‘The Christmas Party’, reflecting the mood of the nation and celebrating the holiday season with joy. Opening on the snowy landscapes of Britain, the Christmas spot reflects on tumultuous covid years, a challenging set of circumstances and the need for us to inject some joy and festive spirit back into life. Directed by Fredrik Bond, Tesco were keen to reflect the mood of the nation while showing how we can still create special moments that will last a lifetime.
Clemenger - Let the Season be the Reason
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Encouraging Aussies to grab Christmas by the baubles, Myer wants everyone to embrace the chaos of Christmas and ‘Let the Season be the Reason’ to indulge, smile and shop. In a new campaign with Clemenger BBDO, set to the soundtrack of ‘The Rhythm of the Night’ by Corona, a couple - exhausted from wrapping presents - end up embracing the art of dance, winding up with a picture-perfect Christmas. The weird, wild and wonderful spot has us in our festive feels.
ATG - V75
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Directed by Martin de Thurah and produced by Bacon, ATG tells the story of a woman's connection with longing. Capturing elements of magical realism, pairing it with subtle sound design and images that vary from serene to fast paced and hectic, the spot focuses on the feeling of excitement. The horse racing brand wanted to capture emotions, showcase production quality, and have entertainment at the forefront of the campaign.
