2015 Holiday Video Advertising

It's been said that the holidays are "the most wonderful time of the year." I'd have to agree, both personally and professionally.

I love the holidays, as I have documented quite feverishly in my new book Out and About Dad.

But I also love the holidays because of all the marketing activity. Most retailers make a huge portion of their revenue and profit during the holidays, so it's fun to see them fight for consumer attention with elaborate campaigns...on-air, on the internet, and ultimately in-store.

Here are a few video advertisements that have captured my attention this season so far.

Brands in the UK are known for competing heavily with elaborate videos during the holiday season. Here is Sainsbury, a retailer in the UK, who knocks it out of the park. Let's face it, cats are hot on the internet, especially a CGI cat:



John Lewis, another UK retailer famous for its holiday videos, has no intention of being left behind this holiday season after a very successful 2014 season with the now infamous #MontyThePenguin:



This video from Edeka, the largest grocery chain in Germany, has some people crying, some people offended, and many people perplexed. It's a great story, although admittedly there is an uncomfortable twist. Whatever your take, there is some solid storytelling in here in line with holiday family gatherings:



Coca-Cola found itself in some controversy this holiday season with a video that perhaps had the best of intentions, but ultimately had to be pulled based on how many interpreted it. The internet dubbed it "the white savior" proving that the message really is in the eyes of the beholder:



Given the fact that it's still early December, I'm sure there much more to come this season. Stay tuned and send me some examples!

What's your experience?  JIM

PS - here's an extra for fun...a spot from an unlikely brand, PornHub. You may remember this brand from the Super Bowl, although its advertising was banned well before kickoff. In this spot, we see the business aggressively trying to elevate its brand by show casing that perhaps the generation gap no longer exists and perhaps showing how modern families relate to each other: