Live from Highdive in Chicago. The Holiday Ads Special

Summary

On Strategy Showcase – Holiday Ads Special Live from Chicago

Date: December 17, 2025
Host: Fergus O’Carroll
Location: Merchandise Mart, Chicago
Panelists:

• Samantha Seskow (Chief Strategy Officer, Leo Burnett Chicago)
• Petter Howard (Head of Creative Excellence, Ipsos)
• Mark Gross (Co-Founder & Co-Chief Creative Officer, High Dive)
• Namisha Jain (Chief Strategy Officer, High Dive)

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Episode Overview

This festive live episode brings Chicago’s ad industry together to celebrate and critique the best holiday ads from the US and UK. Host Fergus O’Carroll and a panel of top strategists and creatives examine 14 standout holiday spots, revealing the strategy, emotional impact, audience reaction, and effectiveness behind each. The episode is interactive, with a voting paddle system for audience reactions and expert testing/research insights from Ipsos. The overall tone is lively, humorous, and filled with candid industry reflection, with a balance of professional analysis and seasonal cheer.

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Key Segments and Discussion Points

1. Show Introduction and Format (00:00–06:00)

• Fergus welcomes the Chicago audience and sets a relaxed, festive atmosphere.
• The panel is introduced: Samantha Seskow (Leo Burnett), Petter Howard (Ipsos), Mark Gross, and Namisha Jain (both High Dive).
• Ads to be discussed were short-listed by panelist votes, then tested by Ipsos for audience reaction and effectiveness.
• Panelists will share their #3, #2, and #1 favorite holiday ads.
• Audience involvement is encouraged with voting paddles and open comments.

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2. Industry Trends and Pre-Show Examples (06:00–09:27)

• Fergus highlights two key trends in holiday advertising:
  • Wear-Out Anxiety: Marketers worry more than consumers about reusing holiday campaigns.
  • Episodic Storytelling: Long-running campaign characters, e.g., Aldi’s “Kevin the Carrot,” become Christmas fixtures in the UK.
• Memorable Moment: Audience watches the “Kevin the Carrot” wedding spot, an homage to “Love Actually.”

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3. Panelists’ Third Favorite Holiday Ads

A. Liquid Death – AI Spoof (09:27–14:45)

• Presenter: Samantha Seskow
• Concept: Irreverent spoof of Coca-Cola’s classic holiday ad, featuring AI gone wrong.
• Panel Insights:
  • “It felt really on brand for them... a spoof of Coca Cola featuring AI gone wrong.” – Samantha (10:03)
• Effectiveness (Ipsos):
  • Younger audiences liked it for its quirky humor; older viewers confused.
  • Only 2 out of 150 people recognized the Coca-Cola spoof; most saw just “bears attacking robots.”
  • Quote: “We have to remember this room isn’t generally the audience.” – Petter (12:22)
  • Overall: Middle-of-the-road effectiveness, but perfect for Liquid Death’s target.

B. Home Instead – “Home but Not Alone” (Macaulay Culkin) (14:45–21:26)

• Presenter: Mark Gross
• Concept: Macaulay Culkin reprises his “Home Alone” persona, now concerned about aging parents.
• “Doing spots like this when you revive characters from movies is very difficult to do well.” – Mark (15:25)
• Challenge: Low brand recall; many viewers enjoyed the nostalgia but did not remember Home Instead as the advertiser.
• Quote: “They knew it was home something. They didn’t know who the brand was at all.” – Petter (18:53)
• Debate: Does fleeting, seasonal nostalgia outweigh poor brand connection?

C. JC Penney – “It’s What They Thought That Counts” (21:26–24:39)

• Presenter: Namisha Jain
• Strategy: Rather than focus on price, spot reframes value around emotional holiday “winning.”
• “It’s not just about getting something nice. It’s about winning the holidays and showing up and throwing down.” – Namisha (21:36)
• Functional benefit (price) becomes an emotional advantage (outsmarting expectations).

D. Tesco – “That’s What Makes It Christmas” (24:39–26:46)

• Presenter: Fergus O’Carroll
• Strategy: Honest, slightly chaotic view of family Christmases—relatable, real, funny.
• Effectiveness (Ipsos):
  • “Tesco’s a—It’s an ad for Christmas more than it’s an ad for Tesco. There isn't really a role for Tesco in it.” – Petter (26:05)
  • Familiarity of the brand helps with recognition, but lacks a strong call to action.
  • “It’s a great insight in search of a problem to solve.” – Namisha (27:18)

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4. Panelists’ Second Favorite Holiday Ads

A. Gap – “Give Your Gift” Choir (27:32–31:52)

• Presenter: Samantha Seskow
• Strategy: Refreshes '90s Gap nostalgia using a choir and basic fashion for new and old audiences.
• “They’ve taken this...uncool brand and made it cool again.” – Samantha (27:32)
• Effectiveness (Ipsos):
  • Highly positive emotional reaction to the song, some confusion about the ad’s point.
  • “People just didn’t know what was happening and they were very confused about what they saw. But they loved the song.” – Petter (31:40)
  • Branded well, but storytelling left some viewers wanting context.

B. Disney – “Best Christmas Ever” (32:05–37:21)

• Presenter: Mark Gross
• Concept: Emotional storytelling spot by Taika Waititi; girl gives a creature “lips” and a Disneyland trip.
• “I thought it was charming...But you know what I’m saying at the end, I feel like strategy wise...” – Mark (34:13)
• Effectiveness (Ipsos):
  • One of the highest-scorers emotionally; storytelling pulls viewers in.
  • “Storytelling is something we see as...most positive drivers of persuasion.” – Petter (35:23)
  • Feels like branded content more than interruptive advertising.

C. Etsy – “Little Drummer Boy” (37:26–41:08)

• Presenter: Namisha Jain
• Strategy: Subtle Christmas narrative about a misunderstood boy, culminating in a tailored Etsy gift.
• “It did not look like a Christmas ad at all...I had Christmas ad fatigue.” – Namisha (37:37)
• Effectiveness:
  • Applauded by the live audience—rare standing ovation.
  • Emotional resonance, solid brand integration as the gift resolves the story.

D. Chewy – “Junior, the Forever Friend” (41:22–44:42)

• Presenter: Fergus O’Carroll
• Strategy: Celebrates enduring pet-owner relationships; hits dog-lover emotions.
• Effectiveness (Ipsos):
  • Top performer—strong empathy, with Chewy seamlessly integrated as the solution.
  • “This is actually one of the top performing spots overall. Hugely positive emotional reaction.” – Petter (43:13)
  • Emotional category is crowded, but this stands out for positivity/network.

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5. Panelists’ Favorite (Top) Holiday Ads

A. Waitrose – “The Perfect Gift” (Keira Knightley Rom-Com) (45:05–48:32)

• Presenter: Samantha Seskow
• Concept: Long-form branded mini-romance with Keira Knightley.
• “This is another example of a retail...brand...How did it rate?” – Fergus (47:02)
• Effectiveness (Ipsos):
  • “People loved it. Really emotional, super high emotional reaction.” – Petter (47:32)
  • Ran as a one-minute Instagram cut for TV—one of the highest scorers in real-world ad effectiveness.

B. Amazon – “Treadmill” (48:32–51:19)

• Presenter: Mark Gross
• Strategy: Returning home for the holidays—adult child discovers their bedroom converted into dad’s gym.
• “Charming and just so ridiculous...” – Mark (49:31)
• “Empathy is at play...that out-of-placeness is a really core human truth.” – Petter (50:30)
• Tight integration of Amazon’s unique selling points (speed, convenience) with a relatable family insight.

C. Facebook/Meta – “Home for the Holidays” (51:19–56:12)

• Presenter: Fergus O’Carroll

• Strategy: Returns to Facebook's original promise—to connect people—by showcasing real-life reunions and holiday stories.

• “Trying to reconnect you with that original purpose for Facebook to try and ignore the chaos of social media...” – Fergus (51:22)

• Ipsos notes that “vignette” ads (lots of fast-cut mini-stories) are often less memorable than single-story narratives, though emotional response is high.

• Quote: “Vignette ads consistently are not well remembered...You’re trying to remember six, seven, eight stories and they just don’t hold attention the same way that one single story does.” – Petter (55:34)

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6. Effectiveness Insights from Ipsos (Throughout)

• Brand Linkage: Emotional storytelling often beats hard branding but can risk low recall if not integrated.
• Category Wear-Out: Warm, empathetic pet or family stories are popular but can blur between brands (Chewy vs. Farmer’s Dog, etc.).
• UK vs. US: UK audiences respond even more positively to the Christmas ad tradition.
• Branded Content vs. Ads: Longer, emotional pieces (Disney, Waitrose) excel as search/YouTube content but aren’t always suitable as interruptive ads unless cut down.

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “If you’re going to do a holiday ad as Liquid Death, how else than a spoof of Coca-Cola featuring AI gone wrong?” – Samantha (10:03)
• “They knew it was home something. They didn’t know who the brand was at all.” – Petter, on Home Instead (18:53)
• “It’s a great insight in search of a problem to solve.” – Namisha, on Tesco (27:18)
• “Storytelling is really powerful and that makes this one of the top performers.” – Petter, on Disney (35:23)
• “No one got this kid—except his teacher.” – Namisha, on Etsy (39:41)
• “Charming and just so ridiculous...” – Mark, on Waitrose & Amazon (49:31)
• “Empathy is at play…but in a different way.” – Petter, on Amazon and Chewy (50:30)
• “Vignette ads consistently are not well remembered… just kind of flies past really quick.” – Petter (55:34)

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Results and Winner

• Mark Gross “won” the panel—two of his picks (Disney and Amazon) were highly effective, according to consumer research, while only one (Home Instead) underperformed.
• The evening highlighted the strategic tension between emotional storytelling and brand recall, and the shifting definition of “success” for holiday ads (emotion, story, entertainment, effectiveness).

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Additional Noteworthy Moments

• “Kevin the Carrot” – a fixture in UK advertising, showing the power of episodic character-based holiday storytelling. (08:15)
• Live Audience Voting – Interactive paddle voting adds energy and immediacy.
• End-of-Episode Reflection: “No tears shed this year!”—a shift toward humorous and light spots vs. previous years’ tearjerkers. (59:28)

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Takeaways for Marketers & Strategists

• Emotional resonance and storytelling drive effectiveness but must be paired smartly with brand integration.
• Nostalgia, humor, and genuine insights about the season (awkward families, holiday “winning,” pet love) consistently engage.
• Great creative is audience-dependent—what delights a room of ad pros may baffle the broader public.
• Shorter ad formats and clear product/role integration remain vital for “interruptive” success.

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Transcript

[A]

Well, this is one of my favorite times of the year, Christmas time. And we do our holiday ad special here in Chicago each year. It's our second year and we get a great crowd from the Chicago ad community to come together. We're at the Merchandise Mart. We're hosted by the wonderful people at High Dive and locally here in Chicago and by Cutter Studio. And we have a brilliant night. No serious topics, we just talk about some of the best holiday ads from the UK and the US and we come together to chill out, have some drinks, eat some food and have some fun. So I wanted to just mention a couple of things. Number one, if you're listening to this, since we didn't videotape it, if you're listening to this, you'll hear the spots and we're actually watching in the room. But some of them were super long these this year. I mean they're like mini movies, branded content as we hear about in the episode. So we're not gonna play the full spots when you're just listening to them and you can't really understand them. But if you do wanna watch them, you can go to onstrategyshowcase.com and on there you can go to this episode's webpage and you can see all of the spots in their glory.

[B]

So it was a fun night.

[A]

We have a small panel which you'll hear in a minute. I wanted to thank our live tour sponsors for being so supportive of this tour this year. They are Tracksuit, the affordable brand tracking solution for modern day brands. They are the Effies. We are the official podcast partner of the Effies and our at Ipsos who are joining us in this episode. You'll hear from Petter Howard. So thank you to them for being so wonderful. It's wonderful that we receive an awful lot of great feedback from other markets wondering if we'll bring this holiday ad show to their particular city. So what we're planning to do in 2026 is we're going to add New York City. So we'll do Chicago and New York next year and who knows, between now and then we may decide to add a third. But we do hope to roll this out over various markets as time goes by cause it is a ton of fun. So let me cut things short here and introduce you to this great crowd that we had in Chicago and I.

[B]

Hope you enjoy it.

[A]

And most of all, happy holidays to everyone.

[B]

Welcome to OnStrategy Showcase. I'm Fergus O' Carroll in Chicago. So we're going to Dive into this. I want to introduce you to our panel for tonight. So what we did last year is we brought everybody together and what that show did is actually inspired a show that we did all of this year, which is called on the Spot. It's basically where planners talk about brands they've never worked on. And so that's a monthly episode we do that we love with different strategists from around the world. So to talk about these different brands tonight, I want to introduce you first to Samantha Seskow. She's Chief Strategy officer Leo Burnett Chicag. We have. Petter Howard is head of Creative excellence at Ipsos. Mark Gross is co founder and co chief Creative officer here at High Dive, and Namisha Jain is Chief Strategy officer at High Dive. So you guys will all notice that on most of your chairs you have a paddle, a voting paddle. Now, we're trying to be kind to work we don't like because we don't want to shit on work that we know people have worked very hard on. But I can't say that I'm not going to at some point ask you if you hated a spot and if you did, you can throw up your red side. But I'm mostly interested on who really liked a spot. So the question becomes, how did we get to the spots that we're going to be talking about tonight? We took a very long list of holiday spots from the UK and the US and we sent it to these good people and we said, pick your top three in descending order. 3, 2, 1. Then we grouped that together, we gave it to Ipsos and they ran testing on those ads and gave us some feedback. And Petter is going to talk to those spots as we go through it. So we're going to go through the top, the number three spot for each of these three guys and me, the number two spot, the number one spot. And then we'll, we'll, maybe we'll pick a winner. I don't know if we'll pick a winner, but we'll do something. And our favorite. We'll do what?

[C]

Our favorite.

[B]

Yeah, I mean, your favorite is number one. So yeah, we can do something. We'll figure out what we, what we do and what we use these little voting devices for. But. And of course, we always love to hear people shout their comments from the audience here. So if you want to throw something in, feel free to do that. So the UK and the US maybe because everything is so easily accessible, we get to actually see every goddamn spot. So none of this may be New to you, but I have a feeling some of it will be. But I wanted to start off by first getting the screens to work and get sort of the gremlins out of it and talk a little bit about these spots. So of the 14 spots you're going to see tonight, nine of them are from the US, four of them are from the UK, four of them are from internal agencies and one of them is from Chicago. I wouldn't be wooting that up. I'd be like, that's disappointing. We should get another one. Whoever that was can leave the room. But it was from fcb, so we love that. Yeah, thumbs up there. Brilliant.

[D]

I hope it did well.

[B]

That's great. So before we get started, I wanted to play three spots that are not on our list but are sort of representative of a couple of things and we'll talk about them as we go through. But the first of them I'll play here. So that one there obviously has it show. I think it talks to a theme that we're going to see tonight, which is the fact that wear out is a bigger issue for us in the industry than it is for consumers. A lot of brands are replaying the same spots and that's not a bad thing. And that's an example of it. Here's another example, And we all know that M and Ms. Does the same thing. But another example that is indicative of episodic storytelling, which you're going to hear a lot about tonight too, is the spot from the uk. This is a spot that's been. This is a campaign that's been running for 10 years in the UK for Aldi. This is Kevin the Carrot, one of the top rated spots every year in the UK at Christmas. And Christmas is the super bowl of London advertising and UK advertising. So this is Kevin the Carrot. Just before I start this, this is the third spot in a series that ran this year. So this is number three, where Kevin eventually gets married to his betrothed.

[D]

Carrot wedding was finally here.

[B]

Come on, Kalida. The most wonderful festive event of the year. Crikey. It's the veggis grind. Chicks on you can't make it. I'm in a bit of a pickle. We can't get married now. Of course we can. Kelvin's got the wind.

[E]

It's time to do our thing.

[B]

Even though I love you My heart is true My mind's made up Will.

[E]

You say too it's been.

[B]

So this will not be the first time we see sort of a creative reference to love, actually in the uk. So let's talk about our spots. So the three. And we're not saying that these are the best spots, we're not saying that they're the perfect ones, but they're the ones that these talented people selected. So if you don't, if you disagree with them, you can thumbs down them and that's okay. So I want to start first with Samantha's third spot. So you were given about 25 spots and you picked the first one here. Do you want a little. It's Liquid Death.

[F]

Oh, Liquid Death.

[B]

So bring that microphone in a little closer to you. And why did you pick the Liquid Death spot? And then we'll play it.

[F]

I decided to be a little bit spicy given that we did a lot of heartfelt, heartwarming ads last time around. And I certainly picked some of those as well. But I. Especially since we've played the Coca Cola.

[B]

Exactly.

[F]

Spa.

[B]

Now you know why I did.

[F]

Yes, yes, now I do.

[B]

Somebody's clicking ahead for me. It.

[F]

It felt really on brand for them. If you're going to do a holiday ad as Liquid Death, how else than a spoof of Coca Cola featuring AI gone wrong?

[B]

Right, so this is a spot from Liquid Death. They have this incredible irreverent tone and so they've always been against the conventions of the category. And Murder Artificial Ingredients is a play on their ongoing tagline, which is murder your thirst. This is Liquid Death. Look familiar?

[D]

Gather round the fire are bright.

[B]

With laughter echoing through the night each sip brings a festive cheer.

[D]

As jingle bells.

[B]

Ring far and near this merry drink we all adore. Artificial ingredients just don't make any sense all natural is the way to be Trying to stop this killing Screen off.

[D]

The top and no more.

[B]

So very, very cool. So it's sort of a rage against AI It's a sort of a reaction to Coca Cola. And a very cool on brand spot for Liquid Death.

[F]

Totally. And I suppose the AI here is also a metaphor for artificial ingredients, right?

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. So patter. How does. I don't know what happened on the screen here. I'm sure we're figuring it out. But how does this react? How do consumers react to it?

[D]

Should we see if the public in.

[B]

The room thinks, yeah, yeah, you want to try that? So do a bit before I give game away. Yeah, yeah, let's do it. So if you really like that spot, give it a thumbs up. That's pretty good.

[D]

Okay.

[B]

That's a pretty good view. That's like.

[F]

They hated it, didn't they?

[B]

Yeah, that's like half.

[D]

No. So, okay, so first thing on this one is we've just talked about the AI backlash and the push against that. And we all know the spot. So of 150 people we showed this to, two of them mentioned Coke. 148 just talked about this is a liquid death ad. So people didn't even see that this was a spoof. So the people that we're showing it to, we have to remember that this room isn't generally the audience. So people are assessing this really as a spot about a truck full of bears attacking robots.

[B]

Interesting.

[D]

Which actually didn't do too badly, particularly with the younger crowd. Right.

[B]

Did you get that it was AI did they get that connection?

[D]

No, not very few mentions of it. They just see this as a CGI ad about liquid death. It plays into that. It's bears eating robots and things like that. So generally actually played quite well with the younger audience. They really liked it. It was very effective among a younger crowd. Older crowd were very confused and didn't know what was going on. Overall, I would say lucky enough to know lots about the Coca Cola ad itself. We've done a lot of work on that with our partners at Coke. That's a very successful ad. This one isn't living up to that. In general, what I'm going to be saying today is that the people in this room are not the audience. You know, this is. We're trying to show these ads to the broader crowd. However, this one, I think it kind of is playing to this audience. I think it was kind of run a lot more as a in house joke to this. So I'm not surprised that everyone in this room loved it. But overall, with the broader public, kind of a middle of the road one for the ones we're going to see.

[B]

A middle of the road. Even though there was a lot of love for it and a lot of recognition, it just wasn't appreciated for what its intention was.

[D]

Yes, I mean it's a big divide between the younger and the older crowd.

[B]

And why do you think that is? What is it about it that did not connect? I mean, how do you make it better?

[D]

It's, it's, I mean, it's, it's bears eating robots. That's you either with. For that or for that or not. Yeah, I'm not sure you can, you can really improve that.

[B]

Yes, yes, More of a. So it's not necessary to know the coat connection at all, which doesn't really matter.

[D]

Well, nobody knew the coat connection. That's the thing they're just assessing. This is as an ad like this.

[F]

But if I'm Liquid Death, do I care?

[D]

No, I think if you're Liquid Death.

[F]

This is great and that it's not playing well with older audiences.

[D]

Absolutely. If I was. If Liquid Death was our client, I doubt we would have tested this among a general population. We would have targeted towards a much younger crowd and it would have been a successful one for them. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. Interesting. Okay, so that was number three spot for Samantha Liquid Death. That's done by their in house agency who've been on the show and massively quirky, interesting creative people who just do some of the wackiest shit I think we've ever seen. But I think it's done a good job for the brand overall. Let's go to Mark Spot. This is Home. Instead, this is done by brilliant agency FCB Chicago. Why did you pick this one, Mark?

[C]

Because it was FCB Chicago.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

No. Kudos to the team who did this, both to the creatives and strategy. I think it's dead on. Strategy, very simple, communicates exactly what they want to say. Doing spots like this when you revive characters from movies is very difficult to do well. So I give them points for doing that. I don't know who directed it. I gotta find out from you all after that, but they, they just did a terrific job of performances. It was engaging, it was simple and yeah, I just thought it was. I loved the strategy. It fit perfectly into the line. Home Alone. It was.

[B]

How would you define the strategy? What would you say it is?

[C]

Well, they almost say the strategy at the end with the tagline, which is you don't have to be alone when you're home. It was as simple as that. And you could clearly see in the spot that he cared about his mom. He meets this character, she says, you know, did you ever talk to her about it? And it was a great problem solution. Very simple problem solution. So yeah, I thought it was. I really loved it. You know, I wanted to like, not like it. When you saw Macaulay Culkin, I don't mean to insult anyone here who did the old Google Macaulay Culkin spot, which I didn't love near as much as I loved this one. I thought this one was done really well with him.

[B]

And yeah. All right, so here is this spot. Home instead. Home but not alone. I just worry about mom being by herself, you know, once she falls down.

[C]

Or gets snowed in.

[D]

They never did catch a South Bend shovel slayer.

[B]

I'll call you back.

[E]

You're A jumpy one, aren't you?

[C]

Sorry, I thought you were this old man Marley.

[E]

That's my gramps.

[B]

Really?

[E]

What's all this?

[B]

My mom's getting older, so I'm wrapping the house.

[E]

Yeah?

[D]

Yeah.

[E]

Have you tried talking to her about getting a little help?

[C]

I'm afraid you bring it up.

[E]

The scariest part is starting that conversation and at least you'll know and can stop worrying about it.

[B]

So the connection between not the nostalgic, but the reflection. Back on Home Alone as a cultural moment, a cultural event that show that movie Macaulay Culkin and the topic seems to work really well. Is it well branded though? Is it. Does the. Does the sort of celebrity overwhelm the branding? Because there's a risk of that, Right?

[D]

Yeah, you pretty much hit the nail on the head there, Fergus. This is a very well liked, highly emotional piece. People love the Macaulay Culkin reference. All of that comes together, but in terms of brand linkage. So when we test ads, we show them in a cluttered reel with some distraction of trailers and then we see if people can remember the ad and if they can tell us what the brand name is like. Type it in unaided. And this one honestly was one of the lowest scores for brand linkage that we've seen. So a great spot, a great piece of content about this that people didn't know what home instead was. We got home goods, we got Simplisafe, we got State Farm, we got home anything. They were just trying to. They knew it was home something. They didn't know who the brand was at all, so they couldn't remember who it was. So it feels like there was just a miss here of we could have given so much more credit to the brand somehow within it instead of people going, that was a great spot. But do they know who it was for all.

[B]

So for SCB people, is this the launch of a long term brand campaign or is this part of. Because I'm curious, because this is obviously a moment. You can't run this in March. So I'm assuming this is part of a bigger campaign or it's the launch of a bigger campaign. So you can do a thumbs up or thumbs down. Is it the part of a bigger campaign? Oh, it's in the middle. Okay.

[E]

Obviously it's a very catered holiday spot.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And that's all I'll say.

[B]

Okay. Now why would she not give us more detail? Curious about that. Anything you wanted you would say to close that one out.

[C]

What I meant is, I don't like this spot.

[D]

Because.

[C]

The branding is really the issue. No, it's unfortunate. I know that happens sometimes. We've been through that with many clients before. Branding, branding, branding. And it's that it doesn't mean that.

[B]

Patter'S right, by the way. Commentary from the bleachers here.

[C]

Yeah, we've. You know, Megan's sitting here in the front row. She knows we go through this a lot, and it's kind of. It's tough to understand because we've done spots before. We worked on Boost Mobile in the past, and we did a spot with Pitbull where, I mean, we made his car orange. We put Boost Mobile on the car on him. It was all over the spot, and they tested it and branding was still low. So sometimes it's tough to know where you get outstanding branding in a spot and you don't.

[B]

And that's an important point. And I always bring this up on the show, which is the testing is a moment in time for a brand or a spot that's about to launch. The second exposure builds recognition more. The third exposure, then you're off to the races. So I think that maybe over time, but this is so specific to a season that's a challenge.

[D]

Yeah. And on the branding thing, it really isn't just about splashing the logo all over it and putting more of the things in like that.

[B]

Right.

[D]

So we'll see some later where there's late brand introduction. It's very small. And they did actually do very well in branding because the brand was actually a resolution. There was some kind of role for the brand in the story. In some of them, it's the hero and it comes in at the end and it's actually beneficial. So when you tell the story, you would name the brand at the end and you would say it. In this one, it's really about Macaulay Culkin pretending protecting his mom. And then at the end, it's home instead. It wasn't even. They didn't even mention the brand name. They didn't even talk about what the brand benefit was going to be. It was just, he's protecting his mom. And then the logo came up at the end. So that was a disconnect for people. So they didn't play it back.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. Okay, let's go to Nemesha's number three spot. It's for JC Penney. You want to intro this and why you picked it?

[E]

I picked it because it was the last thing I worked on at my last agency, and it was a hard brief. I Picked it because it was a really tough brief. Because first of all, holiday ads, like a retail brand around this time of year, they have one goal, which is sales, and they just want to talk about their deals. And price is not a sexy brief for anybody to work on. But the reframe on JCPenney that was interesting was, price is what you pay, but value is what you get. And we flipped the brief to talk a little bit more about if the functional benefit is like, oh, I only paid X and I got Y. Right. But the emotional benefit in here played into the tension of, like, holiday competition. And this idea that for someone who's gifting, it's not just about getting something nice. It's about winning the holidays and showing up and throwing down. And it was just a fun tension to play with. So, yeah, we can watch it and you can tell me that it sucks if you don't like it.

[B]

So this is JCPenney. It's what they thought that counts. So obviously it's a twist on the normal. It's the thought that matters most. Or it's the thought that counts.

[E]

It's what they thought.

[B]

It's what they thought that counts. That counts. Okay, I guess I gotta get that straight in my head. It's the thought that matters.

[E]

It's what they thought.

[B]

It's what they thought that matters. Okay, all right, we got it. See, I get corrected all the time. All right, so here's that spot. This holiday season, Rachel got her cousin Anna a fabulous burnt orange faux fur coat.

[E]

This is way too much.

[B]

Except it wasn't. You shouldn't have. Well, she didn't, because Rachel only spent $75 on a coat everyone thinks cost 200. Something Anna's boyfriend should take note of.

[C]

I thought we agreed on a budget.

[B]

So my one, my number three. And by the way, did I mention. I did mention. Yeah. So my number three is Tesco. If you know Tesco from the uk. What I loved about this campaign and the reason I picked it as my number three is Tesco is sort of an everyday, mid price, mid value brand of supermarket in the uk. So very different than what you're going to see later in the show here, they took a very different sort of view of the reality of actually experiencing Christmas. Because the reality is that when all the family gets together, it can be a kind of a shit show. And you can be honest about that. And there's some fun in that, too. So instead of presenting the polished, idealistic view of Christmas, they gave us a little more of a real Everyday view. So this is Tesco. That's what makes it Christmas.

[D]

It's that time of year again.

[B]

Here's the turkey. A time for family.

[E]

What's happened?

[B]

I had an opinion. That's what happened. It's a time for sticking with traditions. What would you forget?

[E]

Bag of nuts? Well, we can't stay long, but we just wanted to see something.

[B]

Sure.

[D]

I'm popping next door for. Well, stuff like that.

[B]

It's quite festive.

[D]

I'm writing Christmas cards for people you barely know.

[B]

Why are you telling people about personal business?

[D]

It's Christmas.

[B]

What do you do?

[D]

He's touching me for getting one nice family photo.

[B]

You do a circle. It could be anything. It's a biscuit.

[D]

And spending quality time together does not.

[B]

Make this a biscuit. I drew dimples. None loves me more than you.

[C]

What did you just say?

[B]

Are you sharp? I'm not a favorite. No, you're not even like, Christmas isn't perfect, but that's what makes it Christmas. So love that. That's a BBH in London. They've worked with that brand for many, many years. So let's go to our number two spots. We'll go back to Samantha. This is the Gap. Why did you.

[F]

Petter isn't gonna.

[B]

Oh, shit. Petter, do you want to talk about Tesco? I forgot you were there.

[D]

It must be the plain clothing. I'm here.

[B]

Sweater blended in the background. All right. Sorry, my man. I would actually love to hear your thoughts on Tesco. Please.

[D]

On Tesco. So Tesco's a. It's an ad for Christmas more than it's an ad for Tesco. There isn't really a role for Tesco in it. We don't see anything in terms of people associating anything positive with Tesco at all.

[B]

God, I hate when you guys are so practical.

[D]

It's. It's. And it's not even that uplifting.

[B]

I mean, you're right. And so I hate that people also.

[D]

Kind of want something a little bit more festive. It's like. It's true that sometimes family and Christmas is a bit weird, but it would be nice to show some kind of a. Lift them out of that a little bit or some kind of. A little bit of hope at the end of it. I think that was missing. It was just sort of like, Christmas with family is a bit weird. Tesco people were like, okay, don't know what you want me to do with.

[B]

That, but I like that. I don't think I want every dot connected. Right. But let's See, how did it. Actually, it scored Modestly effective. So middle of the road.

[D]

Yeah, it helps that. I mean, this is something that Tesco can do more than most other people could. Because Tesco, if you know, the uk, is by far the biggest supermarket there. So they have the huge brand presence and the recognition, so they can get away with it more. What we saw with Home Indeed earlier is people didn't know the brand. So if you just come in at the end, they don't even know who that is. At least people know this is Tesco because it has that familiarity.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

So it does have a bit of a boost there.

[E]

It's a great insight in search of a problem to solve.

[D]

Yes.

[B]

Yeah. Fair points indeed. Okay, number two, Gap. Why did you pick this wonderful Gap spot?

[F]

For me, this is an incredible example in the turnaround story that is Gap, and the fact that they have taken this bluntly uncool brand and made it cool again. And, yes, that meant changing the fashion, bringing in Zac Posen, you know, showing up in big cultural moments like, you know, the Met Gala. But it's also these really fun ads that use, you know, celebrity talent, in this case, Sienna Spyro, to just showcase the awesome basics that you can find at Gap.

[B]

And the other thing is what I was always struck by, and it's kind of like what JCPenney dealt with. The basic framework of the Gap campaign is the same as the 1990s.

[F]

It was. It triggers all of this.

[B]

It does.

[F]

You know, I'm old enough to remember those ads. For me, it triggers all of that nostalgia of what Gap was cool. And then I talked to young people in the office and they were like, yeah, Gap is cool.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, they did a really great job.

[F]

Here's my Gap outfit.

[B]

Yeah. Because there was great positive emotions to rekindle in people from older people, middle aged people from a nostalgic point of view, but also appeal to younger people. So here's the Gap. Give your gift.

[G]

I can almost see it. That dream I'm dreaming There's a voice inside my essay. You'll never reach it. Every step I'm taking, every move I make Feels lost with no direction. My faith is shaking. But I gotta keep trying. Gotta keep my head held high. Cause there's always gonna be another mountain. Always gonna want to make it move. Always gonna be an uphill battle. Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose. Ain't about how fast I get there. Ain't a band of always waiting on the other side.

[B]

It's the clouds.

[G]

There's always gonna be another mountain.

[B]

Everybody loved this spot, right? Did everybody hear? How did everybody feel about it?

[D]

The paddles.

[B]

All right, all right, all right. There's a winner for sure. Okay. Yeah, it's a mix.

[D]

Everybody loved the song. They really liked the song. It's a very positive emotional reaction to it. However, the other biggest response we got to this one was confusion as to people saying, why have Gap put a choir singing a song? They just didn't really get it. They liked the song, but they were a bit confused as to what was going on. So it's kind of a middle to low performer. I actually, I think the song itself is almost like something you would think to be a soundtrack to the next John Lewis out or something like that. You know, the Monty, the penguin, when they do the piano and the song over the top, it's like that soundtrack is really powerful and emotional. But I think they wanted a little bit more substance or story to the app. Storytelling is really powerful.

[B]

So do you think that increased exposure over time changes that initial reaction or do you guys believe that initial reaction? That first reaction is pretty critical.

[D]

The first reaction is usually pretty predictive of how it's going to end up being. So if you have a strong positive first reaction and you keep playing it, it's going to get better and better. If you have a negative reaction up front, it doesn't usually get stronger. Campaigns wear in more than ads wear in. So showing the same assets and in the same campaign style helps to build associations over time.

[B]

So the cat's eye spot that ran a couple of months ago, does this not cume up to be an effective campaign over time or a recognizable campaign over time?

[D]

It could do. Like I said, the main takeaway from here was people just didn't know what was happening and they were very confused about what they saw. But they loved the song and it was an emotionally uplifting song. So that was definitely a positive for this one.

[C]

Yeah, but they're singing in Gap pants.

[F]

And there's lots of products and sweaters.

[B]

Yeah.

[F]

Basically a singing fashion show.

[D]

Yeah. I didn't say the branding was poor on this one.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

So the agency is Invisible Dynamics in Los Angeles. Mark, you're number two. Disney Best Christmas ever is your number two. Number two. Tell us why you like this one.

[C]

Yeah, well, first of all, I apologize that you're gonna have to watch a two minute something spot that I made you watch this. I, you know, I like this spot. I love the storytelling. I thought it was charming. I thought the end was a Little bit predictable. You know, we had to pick out of the spots you gave us. So I selected kind of my best of the.

[B]

Well, are you blaming me?

[C]

I'm blaming you.

[D]

No.

[C]

You know, Taika shot this. I just strategically, Namisha and I were talking about this beforehand. It's a little bit odd because the solution wasn't necessarily Disney. So she solves the problem, gives this creature lips, and then she brings him to Disney. You know, it sort of like gives someone the gift of something special, I think, or something is the line. And so strategically I think this is a little bit off for Disney though. I do really enjoy the storytelling. You know, it was very engaging and I liked the storytelling and I thought it told a nice story.

[B]

So let's play it and then we' talk a little more afterwards. It's a Disney best Christmas ever. I got told off for doing.

[E]

I also got taught off for doing a math too.

[C]

In the 30s, she goes to the store, buys the lips and doesn't make them suffer for a year. For Sanita.

[B]

Yeah, I was gonna say that. That's pretty brutal. You have to wait.

[C]

Yeah. But you know what I'm saying at the end, I feel like strategy wise, a lot of reds back there.

[B]

Yeah. Give us any reds. People who did not like that spot? Just a few. Oh, very few.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

Yeah. It doesn't hold a candle to Octopus last year, which I. Yeah, exactly.

[B]

I was thinking the exact same thing. And it's the same director, right?

[C]

Yes. Tyga did that as well. Absolutely. I would agree with that.

[B]

Yeah. That was my thing with it. I mean, for me it's Adam and Eve DDB for both of these spots. But this didn't seem Disney like to me at all. This didn't seem cinematic and magical, whereas Boy and the Octopus did. And the stories are pretty much mirror images of each other in terms of being able to grant a favor or some magic to her friend. But it didn't feel Disney like to me at all. Petra, what was. What were the reactions? So don't tell me. It was, you know, amazingly people loved this one.

[D]

So this was the most positive reaction we saw to any of the work. The one they liked the most. Very, very emotionally powerful storytelling. Pulled along by storytelling. And as I mentioned earlier. Well, Mark, you were saying that they probably should have brought the brand in earlier or made it more about Disney. Didn't need it. Everyone knew this was Disney. They got it. And the thing with Disney is they have the best brand assets ever. They have Mickey Mouse, they have the princesses, they have like brand assets on tap. They didn't even need them here. What actually brings this along is storytelling and magic is something that Disney does have some ownership of and people understand that. And when they see it's for Disney at the end, it really connects with them that this is a Disney ad. Because of that storytelling, magic and storytelling is something that we see as one of the most positive drivers of persuasion. More than actually trying to sell to people, telling them a really nice story is a better way of doing that. And we've just done a huge analysis of all of our database using Generative AI to. To pull out all these storytelling tactics and it's proving that out over and over again. And we'll be sharing that with everyone in the new year actually. But so storytelling is really powerful and that makes this one of the top performers. The only thing I will say is I don't think this is an ad. I think this is branded content. I think this is a short movie that Disney made because no one's going to be watching TV or surfing on their phone and get interrupted and watch a four minute video. Right. This is branded content that you see seek out. This isn't interrupt.

[B]

Why wouldn't they if it's a brilliant story? I don't know.

[D]

They will. They'll seek it out. Yeah. Advertising has to gain attention when people aren't trying to pay attention to it. That's the hardest challenge. And if you go there to watch it, you've already got their attention. So it's like it's not the same.

[C]

This has definitely been told in a 60. I think they. This is a long cut, but they definitely could have told us in a Probably. Which could have been. Yeah, yeah.

[D]

And it's not a knock on it. I'm just saying I don't think you can compare this to some of the 30s and 60s that we're looking at because this is a short movie as opposed to like an actual ad that's.

[F]

Trying to just wait till you get to my number one.

[C]

Our number one. Yes.

[B]

All right, so let's go to the next one which is from Namisha. It is Etsy. Little Drummer Boy. Tell us why you picked this.

[E]

So I liked it because it did not look like a Christmas ad at all when it started. And I think I had Christmas ad fatigue when I was going through the 20. As you saw.

[B]

Again, my fault.

[E]

It was your fault totally. But I think it was just. It started off as a story about a little boy who I actually thought it's like, is this A new Netflix show. So there was a part of me that was like. It was stringing me along because I wanted to know what happened to the boy and his story. And the line at the end, I think, was really lovely. Like, the way it. I can't remember what it was exactly anymore, but let's watch it.

[B]

And here we go.

[E]

Alex. Alex, can you sit at my desk? It's happening a bit more and it is a bit of a distraction. It's okay. He'll be fine. And he's not doing anything bad. He's not in trouble.

[B]

Everybody working as a team, okay? Everybody working as a team. Alex, listen, Alex.

[E]

Okay, what we're gonna do is we're gonna pick all of these up. Alex, I got you something.

[F]

Gifts that say, I get you Etsy.

[B]

Thank you. Yeah, Great spot. Big people.

[E]

Loved it.

[C]

Clapping.

[B]

That's the first one that got an applause in the entire thing.

[F]

Feeling a little jealous here.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

My God, people are. We gotta dial this up.

[E]

Yeah. So the line at the end, gifts that say, I get you, I thought tied really well to the story too, because, like, no one got this kid.

[B]

Yeah.

[E]

You know, people were mildly annoyed at him except his teacher. So it kind of threaded the needle on the story.

[B]

Right. It's like personalized gift for personalized unique talents. All right, we gotta find out, because this was tested, you separated out the UK and the us.

[D]

UK and us. So who. We got a round of applause. That must be a lot of greens for this one.

[B]

Yeah. So let's vote up if how you feel about this spot. Oh, man. There is only a one red that I. Two reds that I see. That's pretty great.

[D]

It's probably quite heavily strategy here. So there's probably quite a lot of Brits in here because this one did much better in the UK than the us It's. It's quite positive in both, but it was more effective in the uk, and that's kind of something that we see overall. Like, holiday ads are just a bigger thing in the uk. So it's kind of a bit more of a predisposition and a more positive reaction from the UK crowd to some of these. But overall, this was a good story. It's a very strong, emotional story that people appreciated. This is another one where the branding came in right at the end. Didn't really hamper it. It was just about average, slightly above average for brand linkage, which is actually very good for something that brings in the brand that 58 of 60 seconds. So this is one where the brand came in at the end. But because clearly the brand was the hero and it was bringing the gift and it was bringing a resolution. If you tell the story, you probably talk about the gift of the drumsticks and then coming from Etsy, and therefore, people remember the brand more.

[B]

Yeah. That person works for Etsy. So the agency is Orchard in New York, who've done a lot of great work for Etsy over the last number of years. So really strong body of their work.

[E]

I love their cranberry jiggle spot.

[B]

Yes. So good. Yeah. Was that.

[E]

I think that was Orchard.

[B]

Yeah. I'm trying to think which brand that was for. Was that was Etsy or was it. No, no, no.

[E]

It was for the cranberry sauce. The canned cranberry sauce.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[E]

Ocean Spray.

[B]

Ocean Spray, yeah. And the new one they did. They did a whole new one. A completely different version this year with Cranston. Yeah.

[C]

Bryan Cranston.

[B]

Bryan Cranston is a crazy good, crazy good spot. All right, so here is my number two, only because I have recently fallen in love with a dog. My own dog. I cannot resist a dog spot. Right. So this is Chewy Jr, the forever friend. And this is actually an internal agency. A Spot. Welcome to Chewy.

[E]

A chewy order is on the way for Junior, who's more of a senior these days. Every holiday, dad relies on Chewy for the gifts Junior has loved all his life.

[B]

You're looking great. Come on.

[E]

Okay, buddy.

[D]

Strong weight. That's a strong weight.

[E]

And gets them delivered faster than the years go by. For holidays with pets. There's Chewy.

[B]

So very cool right now. I can imagine what patter's gonna say. Right. So I will at least give you this. This doesn't feel ownable to me at all. I mean, the problem is it's branded. Well, but these messages get confused between, I imagine, with the farmer's dog and with others who were all playing on the relationship between a pet and a dog or a parent. What was the reality?

[D]

So, firstly, we tested the English version.

[B]

Yeah, that's true. That's fair to say.

[D]

I don't even know which was good, because that helped. This was actually one of the top performing spots overall. Hugely positive emotional reaction. It's kind of really dealing into. It's not just emotion. It's like empathy. It's really showing that dog owner bond. They love that you're able to tell a story about an aging dog without going negative because it's going back harking back to the puppy days. So it stays in that positive memories of the pet relationship without going into that kind of older dog towards the end of its life. So we really keep those positive emotions throughout. Puppy is the highlight overall, that's that when it goes back to that puppy back, that's where people really like it. Brand is well integrated. Chewy as a delivery section of that is something that's relatively well owned by Chewy. So people didn't have a problem registering the brand. So yeah, overall, one of the top performers.

[B]

I mean, if I was a strategist, I'd be saying to the client, we got to go somewhere else because this whole emotional dynamic is played out. Yeah. So maybe it's recognized and liked, but is that going to build a business? Would be my question. I mean, you can like a good story, like the characters, like the branding, but does it build the business and build the brand? Would be my question.

[D]

I mean, this one would say, I feel like I'm, I'm playing the opposite of all of these. It's like playing the opposite. Telling me that the Disney ad didn't have the brand come in early enough. And I'm like, no, it's fine. The brand was great. Fergus is saying, this one isn't going to build a business. And I'm like, no, actually emotional ads that are tied to the brand do work.

[B]

No, no, I get that too. But I think I just worry that everybody's in the same emotional space is where I'd come out of it. All right, so our top favorite spots. Because we're running a little late, hopefully nobody needs to leave soon. The doors are locked. Okay, so here's our favorite spots for each person. We're going to start off with Samantha with Waitrose.

[F]

So Petter is going to be a buzzkill and say, this is not an ad, it's branded content. I will subject you to a 4 minute mini ROM com that involves a meet cute at a cheese counter and features the the OG queen of rom com, Keira Knightley herself.

[B]

There you go.

[F]

This is Waitrose. The perfect gift.

[B]

Come on, Phil. It's time to move on. It's what Shelley would have wanted. Well, Shell said the only person I could move on with was Kieran Knightley, so. Kiera Knightley. Yeah.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

Well, good luck with that. Ma. A Sussex. Char, please. I'm kira. I'm kira. I mean, I'm phil. Phil. Nice to meet you, phil felt.

[E]

Yeah.

[D]

Kiera Knightley.

[B]

I know this is probably ridiculous because I've, I'm just feeling. And you're obviously. But it's Christmas, so I Was wondering if you'd consider all.

[E]

I'd love to.

[B]

Oh, Tuesday.

[D]

Tuesday.

[B]

Yeah. Well, I've made lots of bits and pieces. Cranberry sauce. I did some Brussels. I love you too.

[D]

Jesus.

[B]

Oh, man. All right. I mean, yeah, maybe. No. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Okay. So this is another example of a retail or grocery brand. So this is a higher, a more upscale brand. How did it rate? So obviously it's a long piece, just cut down.

[D]

Right. So can't really test. Four minute. I think it's over four minutes.

[B]

That was Samantha's fault.

[D]

But we directly get their reactions. We can't really give it, like the hidden exposure. We can just show it. People loved it. Really emotional, super high emotional reaction. They liked it. It was well linked to the brand. Made them feel good about Waitrose. Really brought home the Christmas spirit. It's like a great piece of content that's linked to Waitrose. It's great branded content. And because we wanted to kind of put it up against the others, we also found that they ran the last minute. So when he turns up at the door with the pie, onwards as a one minute Instagram short form video. So that is running as an ad. Just that piece. So we tested that in a hidden exposure in an Instagram feed, and that was, I think, the top performer of everything that we saw today as well.

[B]

Wow.

[D]

So that's like the audience as a real ad.

[B]

So let's go up or down. How do people feel about it?

[F]

More critical.

[D]

That's popular, but we tested it among the uk, obviously. So.

[B]

So that was the sort of the Love actually reference. Yes, it's very Kieran Knightley. Ish. Okay, so the next one is Mark's number one. It is Amazon Treadmill. I'm gonna play it and then you can comment on it. Is that okay? Sure. Yeah. And so people may be familiar. This has been running in serious rotation. So you may be familiar with this. You're home for the holidays.

[E]

You've dreamt of this moment back in your old room.

[B]

Oh, hey, kiddo. I'll be right there. At least you can get a deal on new shorts for dad.

[E]

Something with a little more coverage.

[C]

It ends there. I don't know why it doesn't.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Truth be told, Waitrose was my actually top spot. We kind of shared that, but.

[B]

And I loved it. I had to switch it out, though.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

To switch it out.

[C]

I love that spot. It was charming and just so ridiculous that that guy fell in love with.

[B]

Kieran Knightley or that she fell in love with him.

[C]

That she fell in love with him. Yeah, it was, it was pretty funny. Yeah. I mean, this is, you know, this is a down the middle spot. Charming. I mean, I probably resonate with this because as soon as my kids, my last kid left the house, my wife and I had like paint rollers behind our back.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

Right. Me too.

[C]

Literally did his room when he was gone. But yeah, it was Amazon tied to the brand simple story holidays when you need a quick gift, buy one. I think it's an insight that we can all relate to. Shopping for family and friends and the dad was funny, but it was, it was a down the middle spot. I don't know if it was my favorite favorite of the holiday, but funny.

[B]

Yeah. And it actually rated highly effective.

[D]

Yes. It's definitely one of the top performing spots overall.

[B]

Mark, you're like, you're winning here. You're like you got it all going on.

[D]

Another example here of empathy at play, but in a different way. So Chewie was all about empathy in terms of like pulling on the heartstrings. This one was about empathy of just like really nailing that insight that you guys both just talked about it there. The rollers behind the back, everyone's seen that on either side of it. You've gone home for the holidays and your room's been all moved around. Maybe there isn't a treadmill like that, but like that out of placeness is a really, really core human truth which is really bringing that empathy and making people connect to it. And what's also great as well is Amazon then has a natural entry into it. It's really quick. You can order something. If you're a city like Chicago, New York, you can get something in a few hours. So like Amazon can fix that problem for you straight away. So it really does lead into the benefit of Amazon prime and that fast delivery. So great emotional insight that the brand can pay off. So just a really good tight 30 seconds.

[B]

All right, the next one, I'm going to skip this, but you guys are all familiar with this one. This is another example of work that is rerunning and they've reran this again because it scored so well. Let's play a few seconds of this. Again. I like it. This is my number one favorite spot. It's obviously for Facebook, Home for the holidays. This actually launched before Thanksgiving. And for me, I think from what Namisha was saying too, it's trying to reconnect you with that original purpose for Facebook to try and ignore the chaos of social media and reconnect with the original reason that Facebook as an app and as ultimately meta as a brand drew us all in originally. And so I think. And it also does a great job, just like Namisha's, of bringing Facebook features or services like Marketplace into the spot. So this is Home for the Holidays. Wonderful spot. In my opinion, I'm probably wrong. If you're traveling to the North Country Fair where the wind's in heaven on the borderline Remember me to one who lives there. It's good to see you. How are you? Good. I was hoping I was going to run into you. See for me that her hair. How's dad life?

[D]

What's going on?

[B]

How's everything? It curls and falls. How are you?

[E]

So happy you came back.

[B]

It's good to be. That's the way I remember her bed. So I love that spot patter.

[D]

All right, let's talk about both. So let's ask the audience who thinks that the Secret Santa spot was more effective with consumers? Okay.

[B]

I might win.

[D]

I might win. The Home for the holidays is more effective.

[B]

Yes, I win.

[D]

It's a bit of a mix. So do I win?

[B]

Let me look. Shit.

[D]

It's Secret Santa. Secret Santa is the stronger one here. It's a nice emotional story from start to finish with the meta Facebook brand integrated throughout. The UX is there. It's showing how it's facilitating this positive emotional story that gets paid off. You really see a peak in the facial coding and that true emotional system. One response at the end that really spikes at the end when people see the resolution of the story. So, yeah, that's a really good one. It's also. So we have a little bit of inside knowledge. So Facebook, that. That one's more about new connections. So it's about learning something about someone new, whereas Home for the Holidays is more about reconnecting with people who are already in your network. So that's kind of a slightly different strategic take between the two. The biggest thing that holds back Home for the Holidays is, and I've been testing ads for like nearly 20 years, is it's another vignette ad. And if there was one thing I would say it's that vignette ads consistently are not well remembered. When people see them in a distracted exposure, it just kind of flies past really quick. And you're trying to remember six, seven, eight stories and they just don't hold attention the same way that one single story does. We have lessons learned and like a Secrets of advertising type deck that we pull out. And I think the slide on vignettes is the one that we use the most to say, hey, this one didn't really break through. It was probably because it was lots of fast cut scenes and vignettes. That would be my one sort of piece of advice that could some vignette ads work? Right. There's no hard and fast rules, but they often stop to. They don't really grab the attention that they could do.

[B]

Okay, I have one more honorable mention before I announce the winner of these guys, these three and me, in terms of who won the effectiveness summary. So the first, in the same way that we've had high dive on the show, because I think the recent episode we did, we talked about the idea that high dive is sort of the U.S. super bowl agency. It's kind of become that, but the body of work that it's done. But in the uk, Adam and Eve ddb, which just lost their DDB designation, they were the Christmas agency with just a body of brilliant work. And this is an example. This is an old spot that I love. I love many of them. I've played them last year a lot, too. But I couldn't finish out tonight without at least having one John Lewis spot. This is John Lewis, Buster the boxer. This was from maybe five or ten years ago.

[G]

I follow the night. Come stand.

[B]

The light.

[G]

One day I'll fly away Leave all this to yesterday. What more can your love do for me? When will love me through with me? Why little life from dream to dream and dread the day when dreaming.

[B]

So that is a brilliant spot. Right. So when we looked at all of the work and we based it upon how the spots that were picked rated against what Petter and Ipsos talked about. The winner actually was Mark. Mark got two of his spots were highly effective Disney and Amazon, and only one of his spots home instead was a low performer. So believe in you.

[C]

Still believe in you.

[B]

Yeah, you get a magical onstrategy showcase hat. Listen, thank you to everybody for coming out tonight. Happy holidays. Thanks for coming. Thank you to high dive. Thank you to our panel. And we will see you back again next year. And you know what was interesting? There was no tears shed.

[F]

No.

[B]

This year. Last year, a lot of tears. Yeah. And so that's a lot to probably do with what we're looking at inside, apparently. All right, good night, everybody. We'll see everybody on the next episode. Happy holidays.