Hello! Today we are going to be looking at advertising and how it can boost a business. Now that the Christmas break is over and we are moving into a new year, we thought we’d have a look at the seasonal advertising world. Christmas is a prime time to sell inventory, everyone is buying presents left and right, getting decorations for the tree, and getting food for the Christmas dinner. Likewise Easter is a great opportunity for DIY marketing, Easter Eggs of course and family get togethers, and right now we have the holiday advertisements together with loosing weight and stop smoking campaigns.

Advertising is incredibly important and a big influencer used to convince the population that a business’ product or service is the best. Looking at Christmas in particular, a good example of clever advertising is Aldi’s Kevin the carrot character, a recurring festive mascot who gets involved in various Christmas related adventures, whilst also advertising Aldi’s Christmas dinner products, however the character has gained enough popularity to get his own line of cuddly toys of different sizes. 

In modern times adverts have mainly been focused around shoving a product in your face, telling you why it’s good and why you should buy it, Kevin the carrot however doesn’t do this, the Adverts mainly focus on Kevin himself, with the food mainly acting as the set piece of Kevin’s adventures. For example, a shot of Kevin making his way across a dinner table, taking a few pausing shots at the food to let you see how good it looks. This is akin to the corporate case study video which shares the benefits of a particular product or service and how it have made a difference;  so not a ‘buy it now’ message but a softer ‘this helped this person so maybe it could help you.’

Another good example are John Lewis’s adverts which always tell a story. Usually, about friendship and acceptance the most recent one being about a boy and his friendship with a giant veinous fly trap.  Or 2013’s which focused around the relationship between a rabbit and a bear, the rabbit wanting to spend Christmas with the bear but can’t due to the bear going into hibernation.

2014 delivered a heartfelt story about a boy and his penguin who did everything together, but the boy soon realises his penguin is feeling lonely and he has to try and help his friend.

In 2019 told the tale of Edgar the Dragon, a small green dragon who only wants to join in the festivities, but his habit of breathing fire keeps messing everything up, his only friend must help him find a way to make piece with the villagers.

2022 gave us a heartwarming story about a man who was trying to learn to skate board, consistently fumbling and falling before its revealed he is learning so he can have something to talk about with a child him and his wife were trying to adopt.

In conclusion at seasonal peaks people are already being bombarded with advertising and products, be that for DIY, Easter Eggs or mince pies.  So showing them a story about the deeper meaning of a season, for Christmas for instance about being good to people, is a breath of fresh air, and can be a much-needed break from the constant traditional advertising. 

What have been your most memorable and favourite TV campaigns in recent years?  Why did they appeal to you and what made them stand out from the crowd?

We look forward to hearing from you, but meanwhile wish you a very Happy Happy 2024!