Five TV ads that really ring our Christmas chimes
Materialistic? Us?
Americans are often called shallow. Greedy. Concerned only with things, never ideals.
What could be more absurd?
You need only look at TV's great Christmas commercials to see that the thing being sold is — always — love, family, brotherhood, peace.
Only incidentally is there a mention of the soft drink, electronic device, luxury automobile, high end department store, kitchen appliance, condensed soup, parcel delivery service, holiday candy assortment, imported footwear, breakfast cereal, beer or instant coffee that will bring us to this happy state.
"A good advertisement is one which sells the product without drawing attention to itself," said David Ogilvy, the dean of Mad Men. And our favorite Christmas ads do exactly that.
Rule No. 1 of advertising: It's all about your needs, not our products. The pitch must be connected to an itch.
Do you long for an exciting lifestyle? Just look at all those beautiful people in a gorgeous tropical resort — chugging our beer!
Is your marriage in a rut? That big convertible with a red ribbon in the driveway will make her smile!
And at Christmas, people need so many things. They need warmth, family, togetherness. They need tradition. They need to feel good about life, and themselves.
That's a lot of needs. Plenty for advertisers to hang their hats on. Whether it's Santa drinking Coke (introduced in 1931) or Hershey's kisses ringing out like Christmas bells (1989), there's no heartfelt holiday custom that can't be linked to a product.
Here's five of our favorite Christmas commercials. And here's why they go straight to our hearts — by way of our credit cards.
'Behold, the power of cheese!'
THE PITCH: Little girl wakes up on Christmas morning. Runs eagerly down the stairs — with mom and dad, in their bathrobes, following sleepily behind. And now here's the living room — overflowing like a Bloomingdale's window. There's an enormous dollhouse, several off-the-rack gowns, a little red wagon, a bicycle, a snowmobile, an electric train, all manner of big-ticket merchandise. The crowning touch? A convertible sports car. "Whoa," says dad, groggily. "Those must have been some cookies you left Santa." "I didn't leave him cookies," smirks the little girl. "I left him cheese."
THE ITCH: Who doesn't enjoy being the one in the know? Who wouldn't want to be on the inside track with Santa? America's Dairy Farmers were behind this 1998 ad, which closes with the catch-phrase: "Behold, the power of cheese!" The ad is not about cheese. It's about power.
'Christmas Eve, 1914'
THE PITCH: The trenches of World War I. Dusk. It is snowing. Grimy Christmas packages are being delivered to the grimy British Tommys: "Jenkins." "Oakley." "Knight." Suddenly, in the distance, there is singing. "Stille Nacht." Silent Night! Who could that be? Why, it's the German soldiers! Celebrating Christmas in their own trenches, far away on the other side of the barbed wire! Homesick, the British lads join in — in English — and the singing swells. Now, all at once, one of the English boys pops his head out over the trench. "Jim, no don't do it!" But Jim does it. And the German lads do it. Next thing you know, the two enemies are shaking hands, playing soccer, and passing around photos of their sweethearts. "Christmas is for sharing. Sainsbury's."
THE ITCH: We all need to believe that Christmas is about something real. Something more than just merchandise. The 1914 Christmas truce was an actual — and moving — incident from World War I. In 2014 — the 100th anniversary — it occurred to some genius at Sainsbury, the British supermarket chain, to tie it to their brand. More, to do it with Steven Spielberg-level production values. In doing so, they proved they were about more than groceries. And probably sold more groceries than ever.
'Make someone's holiday'
THE PITCH: Mom, dad and their two — rambunctious — little girls are going to grandpa's house for the holidays. Only grandpa seems a bit out of sorts. "Settle down," he tells the kids, grumpily. "Mommy, is grandpa still sad?" asks one of the moppets. Grandma, it seems, has recently died. Craftily, the girls come up with a plan. Using their Apple iPad, they combine old videos and snapshots with a whimsical soundtrack to create a video scrapbook of the grandparents. The perfect Christmas present! "Once upon a time, nana fell in love with grandpa..." Grandpa is in tears. And then comes the kicker: these two pint-sized Peter Jacksons have used Apple's photoshop feature to place an image of grandma into a family picture — taken after her death! "Nana might not be here, but we're all still together."
THE ITCH: Sometimes, the holidays are lonely. Sometimes, we can't be with the ones we love. And there's nothing that can be done about it. Or is there? Apple to the rescue! This 2021 ad is a real heartwarmer — or tearjerker, depending on your taste.
'I'd like to buy the world a Coke...'
THE PITCH: A rainbow assortment of people are gathered on a hilltop. They are holding candles. Black and white, Asian and Native American — all united by a beautiful dream. "I'd like to buy the world a home and furnish it with love," they sing. "Grow apple trees and honeybees and snow white turtle doves." But they save the best for last. "I'd like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony, I'd like to buy the world a Coke and keep it company." And the camera pulls back, to reveal all the candles forming a giant Christmas tree. Drink Coke!
THE ITCH: Can't we all just get along? So Rodney King asked in 1992, so men and women have asked since time began. It is the oldest, most universal dream of mankind. A dream that seemed forever out of reach — until Coca-Cola showed us the way. This iconic ad, created back in 1971, is the shining example of an advertiser tapping into the deepest of human needs, in order to sell a product. In the TV show "Mad Men," it is Don Draper's greatest triumph (the ad was actually conceived by Bill Backer, an executive at McCann Erickson).
'Feliz Navidad!'
THE PITCH: It's so simple! No visiting relatives, no presents, no Santa. Just a house, a palm tree that lights up, a whistled Christmas carol — and blessed, blessed silence! Even the ambient noise is genius.
THE ITCH This ad for Corona Extra, which first ran in 1990 and ran for years afterward, plays on the deepest and most unspoken of Christmas wishes — to get away from Christmas. Feliz Navidad, indeed!
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Best Christmas commercials on TV and why we buy into them
