This Year's Best Christmas Ad Isn't About Christmas, Isn't Really An Ad.
So I guess, technically, it's NOT the best Christmas ad of 2022. But it kept me watching for four minutes, which is a miracle.
The holiday season is not about JOY, unless you’re rich or a fucking elf. If you are an elf, all apologies. Otherwise, fuck the dancing Santas and the animated fucking carrot named Kevin and such.
The John Lewis “Beginner” ad is fine, supports a very worthy cause. But the “best” commercial is, and will be, the below ad via German supermarket chain Penny.
Christmas time is just Depressing Consumerism; Shut-up and BUY (in the words of Maynard James Keenan). Lonely and alone people think about killing themselves; some do.
“The Rift” here gets right to that. This is what the world is: Rifts. Baby Jesus and Rudolph didn’t change that. Yes, it’s four minutes long. But if you want to be “touched” by an ad, well, this one hit me. Don’t worry, it has a slightly uplifting ending. Slightly.
Does it “sell” Penny or make me want to shop at Penny? No it does not. But I don’t want to blow up their stores after watching it. Small victories. Ad agency: Serviceplan, Munich, one of the best agencies in the world right now. Directed by Seb Edwards.
OK, so here’s my favorite recent Christmas-y Christmas ad. It first aired two years ago, running again this season. It’s a perfect 15 seconds. I smile every time I see it, and it sells me on Greenies without making me feel like shit. What the fuck else do you need. Ad agency: adam&eveDDB.
The suicide rate is lowest around November and December. It actually correlates with the hours of sunshine in the day. More sunshine, higher suicide rates. To my knowledge, they still have not figured out why this is the case.