The marketing world is abuzz with holiday ads and promotions for Stranger Things. In my weekly compilation this week: ads from Deutsche Telekom, Uber, Apple and more.
McDonald’s Taiwan: dreamy breakfast
Advertising’s potential to solve a business problem through a creative idea is amply demonstrated in this campaign to promote McDonald’s breakfast in Taiwan. The problem: many consumers wake up late and hence miss the breakfast served at McDonald’s as that service is available only till 10:30AM. So the brand decided to urge people to go to bed early so they can wake up early for breakfast. The ad is anchored on a nearly half-century old, popular ‘good night’ song in Taiwan sung by singer Fei Yu-Ching. The ad creates a dreamy world full of breakfast items from McDonald’s visually represented as hypnotic, sleep inducing everyday things. I liked the unexpected angle to a business problem, starting with how the consumer thinks & behaves.
Also, going beyond a TVC, there was a 360-degree campaign (is that still a thing?) taking the central idea forward.
As part of the campaign, McDonald’s invited different artists to perform Goodnight Song nightly on social media every night at 9pm, reaching people during their pre-sleep screen time. Targeted nighttime ads on digital and video platforms turned bedtime scrolling into a moment of brand connection.
Agency: Ogilvy
Meta: Secret Santa
The plot might be familiar: protagonist finds the right gift for someone through an online search. Instead of any online search, it is Facebook and it’s many features such as Marketplace which is the hero in this sweet spot for the holidays. I think it lands well because of the Secret Santa context at the workplace – which would be familiar with many. But I wonder if its still credible to pitch Facebook as the go-to platform for such, especially for the young audience.
Agency: Droga5
Uber: a holiday story
People want positive vibes during the festive season. It’s the time when families get together for celebrations, often forgetting differences. Now wonder, tugging at the heartstrings to tell an emotional story is a common theme from brands during this time of the year. Uber has been pitching its services to the American suburbs recently. As an extension of theme, a holiday ad tells the story of a young lady and her relationship with her father over the years. The montage tells the backstory ending in some misunderstanding, waiting to be resolved in this trip back home. A cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” works as a great foil to a story which is so relatable and likely to make you all teary eyed.
Agency: Mother
Deutsche Telekom: Stranger Things promo
The idea ‘all your entertainment in one place‘ is generic to a streaming provider. But it is brought alive in an engaging manner in this spot which re-creates the world of Stranger Things for Magenta TV from Deutsche Telekom.
Agency: adam&eveDDB
The painstaking craft in the film is visible. Apparently, the “machine” in the film was actually built entirely over several weeks and was fully functional right up until its on-screen meltdown. [Source].
THINK!: don’t put drugs in the driving seat
In my view, campaigns which seek to change behaviour of drunk driving should be so hard hitting that they strike fear in the hearts of viewers and be a powerful deterrent. The best example of this approach is the campaign from Traffic Accident Commission, Melbourne created by Grey a few decades ago. A new ad from UK takes a similar approach, dramatising the consequences of driving after substance abuse.
Agency: FCB, London
Maybelline: Maybe this Christmas
The soap opera spoof (seen earlier for CeraVe) works well for many brands, including upmarket ones like Maybelline. The product is woven into the story and the approach seems differentiated in a cluttered category.
Agency: Maximum Effort
iPhone 17 Pro: peak performance
The product feature and its benefit (remember Leon from 2023?) is a common anchor of ads from Apple. A new ad dramatises the capabilities of the A19 Pro Chip.
Ireland Data Protection Commission: pause before you post
We all can be held guilty of oversharing on social media – especially details of our children. Many tend to post every detail from child birth to teen years, sharing way too much than necessary about one’s personal life. This could potentially put children at risk. A new spot from the Data Protection Commission in Ireland creates awareness about ‘Sharenting’ without being too alarmist or spooky, striking the right balance.
LoveHolidays: billboard
As a stunt for a travel brand, this was genuinely interesting: a man who appears to be on holiday inside a billboard. Placed in rainy Shoreditch during winter the billboard showcased former England Rugby player Joe Marler lounging in a sunny beach, complete with a floral, summer attire.
Agency: ARK Agency
Central Department Store: gifting season
The idea ‘give a gift for yourself‘ reminded me of the ‘Spent it on myself’ campaign from 2013. Nevertheless, the typical Thai humour gets the laughs and drives home the point.
Agency: Wolf BKK
Which one was your favourite? Do comment in.