Why nostalgia is dominating Christmas adverts |
The Notebook, where the City’s movers and shakers have their say. Today it’s Ogilvy’s Amelia Torode
For those involved in UK advertising, Christmas is our Super Bowl, when ads become central to popular culture. Mishandle your Christmas advertising and you risk derailing the entire year’s revenue. When it comes to Christmas advertising, I believe nostalgia reigns supreme – but this year it manifested in fascinating and different ways:
Nostalgia technology: There’s been considerable debate about AI transforming advertising for better or worse. This year, Coca-Cola remade their iconic “Holidays Are Coming” ad entirely using AI, requiring 70,000 prompts. When viewers were told it was AI-generated, they reportedly disliked it; when they weren’t informed, they loved it and it aced all testing metrics.
Nostalgia subversion: Save The Children hijacked that famous Coke truck aesthetic, employing the same visual language of snowy landscapes and twinkling lights. But when the convoy stops, we discover the trucks are packed with aid for children in conflict zones. Powerful, hard-hitting and creatively bold.
Nostalgia humour: Google Pixel’s Christmas ad was........