Nike Greatness, and more Christmas ads: creative roundup of the week

Christmas ads have become an integral part of the annual advertising calendar. The ones from Erste Group and John Lewis are among the most anticipated ones. My weekly compilation of creative ads is a small tribute to brand teams everywhere.

Nike: Greatness – it only takes everything

Perhaps every brand aspires to be a Nike. But not all have the arsenal available to Nike. The brand enjoys a halo built around a magical mix of product appeal, celebrity endorsements, iconic tagline and a cult-like fan following. But not many brands can afford to sign up mega sports stars. Or enjoy the residual imagery of a Nike. Even though it may not qualify to be labelled a ‘heritage brand’, being consistent for decades has helped the brand immensely in terms of recall and powerful associations. Ads have played a crucial role in creating this halo. Most of their ads are beyond just ‘likeable’. They evoke strong emotions (sometimes polarising too), create affinity among owners and aspiration among prospects.

Their latest is a tribute to Rafael Nadal – ‘a Nike athlete since he was 13 years old’. The film has the best ingredients of Nike advertising: anchored on a shared emotion and deep impact of audio & video (voice over by Phil Knight). Loved how effortlessly they sum up the idea in a pithy, memorable, powerful baseline.

Through over 1,500 official matches, Rafa has built a legacy of resilience and fierce competition, teaching generations of tennis fans that greatness is born from sacrifice, fueled by endurance and sustained by an unbreakable will.

Orange: SaferPhone

Parents of early teens can relate to the dilemma: should we get them a personal smartphone or not? This question usually pops up closer to birthdays and festivals like Diwali (in India). A new ad in France pits parents against children in a mock ‘argument’ for and against getting a smartphone at that age. The typical objections and worries of a parent are pitted against the ‘demands’ of teens in a charming spot. The SaferPhone from Orange is offered as a solution since it is refurbished (and hence cuing inexpensive) has built-in safety features and even a dedicated support for cyberbullying.

Agency: Publicis Conseil

Posten: the reindeers

What happens at the North Pole when Santa’s reindeer are not delivering presents? If something goes wrong with ‘Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer’ who can fulfil the duty of delivery of presents?

One has to admire such creative thinking as starting points when planning for an ad campaign for Posten – the Norwegian Postal Service. The film takes a docu-drama style to portray the supposed behind-the-scenes goings on what led to Rudolph’s downfall and when Posten had to step in. It’s pretty bold of the brand to take a light-hearted, even contrarian Christmas ad.

Agency: Pol

Beats by Dre: nothing ordinary

Advertising claims such as offers ‘more’ or ‘above the ordinary’ are generalities. The former especially, is a catch-all without offering a single-minded, clear benefit. In such cases, the creative idea and the execution play a crucial role. A new for Beats by Dre headphones is pitched as ‘nothing ordinary’ and stars footballer Erling Haaland. The intrigue and attention comes form the intense & unusual training he goes through all delivered with a dead pan demeanour.

Agency: Uncommon

National Lottery: add some play to Christmas

Here’s an example of a fully integrated campaign anchored in a consumer insight, a product idea to capitalise on it and a communication that brings it all alive. ‘Christmas is all about shared moments, many times involving games and a healthy dose of competitiveness‘ is a insight relevant to UK and other markets where the festival is celebrated. National Lottery Scratchcards are designed to work like musical chairs. The cards are passed on around the table as the music plays. When the music stops, each family member can take a turn scratching the card. A new ad captures these moments in a slice-of-life style ad, almost like a well-made TV show episode. Loads of fun.

Agency: VCCP

Mint Mobile: Mintfomercial

Actor Ryan Reynolds does it again. He has displayed extraordinary marketing & creative chops for several of his brands before. This time it is for Mint Mobile, his brand which was acquired by T-Mobile in 2023. A new ad meant to resemble the good old ‘infomercial’ – in everything from tone & tenor, the length (30 minutes!) and more. The self-deprecating humour dramatises the touts the brand’s US$15 per month premium plans and has ‘content’ for everyone. As you can see, it is ‘designed’ to farm engagement allowing users to choose any of the segments:

You might ask how an 80s or 90s style format is relevant to today’s consumers. Also when brands are choosing short format commercials like Reels & Shorts, we have a 30-minute ad. I think the reputation of Ryan Reynolds and his brand of humour in advertising, gives the brand a license to get consumer attention. Also, there is always some curiosity about how popular culture was back in the day and people are willing to watch it if its interesting or gets a laugh. The comments section on YouTube is quite a revelation.

Agency: Maximum Effort

Erste Group: Silent Night

In the west, popular culture plays a big role in creating the festive mood around Christmas. Hollywood has a genre called Christmas movies. In contrast, in a market like India we don’t have ‘Diwali themed’ films. In the west, brands spends huge sums in creating Christmas campaigns. Most of these are anchored on feel-good factors and stir positive emotions. In India we’ve had instances of Diwali ads anchored on something preachy or even not conveying a festive mood at all. Also, in the west many have faith, magic and ‘belief in Christmas and Santa’ as central themes.

Erste Group, one of the largest financial service providers in Central and Eastern Europe has released their Christmas themed film which tells the actual story of how the ‘Silent Night’ carol came about.

The Christmas advert takes viewers back to the Austrian village of Oberndorf in the winter of 1818, where we meet a young man who sees his neighbors struggling with poverty and hunger and is inspired to find a way of bringing them some warmth and hope. 

A few more ads as part of my weekly compilation, here. Which one was your favourite? Do comment in.