At The Drum, we believe great work deserves recognition and that talented creatives should get their share of reverence for the hard work they put in. So each week we will update our hall of fame, celebrating the 10 best ads from our Creative Works section. Welcome, and don’t forget to vote for your favorite.
A flurry of new Christmas ads dropped this week and, as a seasoned veteran of holiday campaigns, Coca-Cola’s spot was highly anticipated. ‘Real Magic’ tells the heartwarming tale of a young boy who rallies around his neighbors to fashion a makeshift ‘chimney’ out of cardboard boxes to welcome Santa.
Amazon also celebrated the festive period with a new ad soundtracked by the instantly recognizable voice of Adele. ’Kindess, the Greatest Gift’ aims to promote the goodwill of strangers amid the annual consumer frenzy.
Lastly, Twitter Blue offered a reprise from all the merriment with a tongue-in-cheek jazzercise infomercial to promote the premium subscription service. The retro video stars comedians and internet celebrities Dana Donnelly, Meg Stalter, Broman and Prance donning some pastel Jane Fonda-inspired workout attire.
The Coca-Cola Company: Real Magic at Christmas by DentsuMB
Coca-Cola debuted its new holiday campaign, part of its ongoing ‘Real Magic’ global brand platform. The campaign includes a holiday ad that drives home the concept of togetherness, a revival of the Coca-Cola Holiday Caravan – which was canceled last year due to the pandemic – and new virtual Santa sightings.
Coke, which has a long history of classic holiday ads, is hoping ‘Chimney’, a new film created in partnership with DentsuMB UK, makes the list of favorites. It tells the heartwarming tale of a young boy who mobilizes a group of friendly neighbors in and around his apartment complex to fashion a makeshift ‘chimney’ out of cardboard boxes to welcome Santa. The final box at the tippy-top of the chimney is, of course, a red Coca-Cola box.
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Amazon: Kindness, the Greatest Gift by Lucky Generals
Amazon kickstarted its Christmas campaign with the angelic voice of Adele helping to promote the kindness of strangers amid the annual consumer frenzy.
The global campaign has been created by Lucky Generals and recounts the story of a young woman forming a new friendship with her neighbor while attempting to resume a normal life following recent upheavals.
Communicating the value of kindness over any material gifts, the campaign highlights how it is the people around us who make Christmas truly special.
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Twitter: Twitter Blue
In a bid to promote Twitter Blue, the social media giant rolled out a series of retro-inspired infomercials starring comedians and internet celebrities Dana Donnelly, Meg Stalter, Broman and Prance donning some pastel-hued Jane Fonda inspired workout attire.
The tongue-in-cheek jazzercise-style videos encourage users to ‘flex those Twitter fingers and take it to the next level’ by joining its premium subscription service for $2.99 a month.
New features include the much-requested undo button, bookmark folders, custom navigation, reader mode for threads and ad-free articles (but it won’t let you pass paywalls) that will be available to Twitter users in the US, New Zealand, Canada and Australia on iOS, Android and web.
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Deliveroo: The Ultimate Gift by Pablo
Deliveroo is riding to the rescue of flummoxed gift-givers with some animated suggestions for the ultimate present in a festive-themed television campaign.
Positioning food as the must-have gift this Christmas, the seasonal campaign proves the adage that the quickest way to the heart is through the stomach with a range of fast food alternatives to the traditional Christmas turkey.
Building on a universal appreciation for good food, the campaign proves that there is more to the occasion than unwanted socks, with the observation that ‘no one ever said ’Did you keep the receipt?’ for a bucket of chicken’.
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Sage Foundation: Hope Dies Last by Yassa Khan
A powerful short film featuring The Huni Kuin Tribe of Brazil, created by Sage Foundation, sent a warning to the western world during Cop26: nature is not for sale.
Through the campaign, which is in partnership with One Tree Planted, the non-profit organization aspires to give a voice to the many indigenous tribes that call the Amazon home and have devastatingly witnessed first-hand the effects of climate change on their habitat.
To coincide with the Cop26 conference in Glasgow, Sage Foundation wants to share a message from the Huni Kuin Tribe, who despite living on the frontline of this crisis, want to offer a glimmer of optimism that it’s not too late to tackle this issue by sharing their mantra of ‘Hope Dies Last’.
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Very.co.uk: It's the Very Best Excuse by Grey London
Online retailer Very rolled out the first installment of its Christmas campaign back in October igniting the age-old debate on when it is appropriate to launch holiday ads. Now, as the festive season begins to draw closer, Very, and its creative agency Grey London, is launching the second ad in the ‘Very Best Excuses’ series.
’It’s the Very Best Excuse’ encourages viewers to celebrate the things we can only get away with at this wonderful time of year – cozily drinking gin in your PJs in front of the TV while binging on period dramas, dressing up babies in festive costumes or even treating yourself to a luxurious gift – set to the tune of some jolly carol singers.
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Boots: Bags Of Joy by The Pharm
Boots’ Christmas effort is called ’Bags Of Joy’ and stars Bafta-nominated actress Jenna Coleman as the titular Joy. Viewers get to follow her journey as she discovers her bottomless bag of gifts and uses it to bestow Christmas presents upon everyone she cares for.
Academy Award-winning director Tom Hooper directed the film, with production design from Bafta award-winning production designer Eve Stewart. The soundtrack, performed by a 45-piece orchestra at the iconic Abbey Road Studios, was composed by Rachel Portman OBE.
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Philips: Right Under Your Nose by Dept
This Movember, Philips and creative agency Dept have joined forces to debut ‘Right Under Your Nose’, which aims to kick-start important conversations around men’s health in a light-hearted way.
Since 2013, global charity Movember has funded more than 1,250 men’s health projects taking on huge topics such as mental health and suicide prevention, prostate and testicular cancer.
This new campaign, which was shot by acclaimed director Augusto Zapiola, showcases a range of situations such as a man hanging upside down where he appears to be checking his balls, a couple of friends in a doctor’s waiting room discussing changes to their body and two bowling alley buddies analyzing cancer statistics.
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JD Sports: Welcome to JD Street by Cake
‘King of the Streets’ is JD Sports’ festive 2021 spot and features cameos from stars including Maya Jama, KSI, Jadon Sancho and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The fully integrated global campaign aims to reflect the authentic role that JD Sports plays in youth culture today.
Creative agency Cake teamed up with production partner Pretty Bird to execute the holiday spot, which is also a celebration of the retailer’s 40th year. With a nod to its Mancunian heritage, the spot premiered during Saturday’s Manchester derby on Sky Sports.
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TK Maxx: Christmas To The Maxx by Wieden+Kennedy London
Retailer TK Maxx teamed up with Wieden+Kennedy London to create a joyful Christmas spot that will have you rockin’ around the tree.
The overall theme is taking ‘Christmas To The Maxx’ and the campaign aims to capture the spirit of making this holiday season feel extra special.
The ad tells the story of an unexpected hero, an awkward teenage boy called Laurie getting ready to perform at a Christmas comeback concert in his local town hall. Laurie’s skills soon become apparent when he performs a special cover of Walk This Way by legendary rock band Aerosmith.
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That’s just for starters. Check out the best work from our Creative Works section here and don’t forget to vote.
