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With the festive holiday season approaching, it just wouldn't be the same without festive-themed ads designed to stir nostalgia in your heart. Every year, as soon as Halloween is behind us, it seems there are holiday marketing campaigns everywhere with several businesses rushing to captivate your attention during this season. There are social media posts, holiday emails, and TV ads. Some brands do this very well, and this article will help you glean inspiration from some brands known to produce the most creative, engaging, and successful holiday advertisements and holiday campaigns every year.
Our Hand-Picked Top 20 Holiday Advertisements For Your Marketing Inspiration
1. Verizon
In this holiday ad, Verizon plays a parody based on the holiday classic “A Christmas Carol” and highlights the brand's exclusive Black Friday promotions. In the ad, Ebenezer Scrooge struggles with poor cellphone reception in Ye Olde Town Center. A watchful character, Bah Humbug, encourages Scrooge to see the error of his ways and suggests that Scrooge switches to Verizon this holiday season for a free 5G phone, and a host of gifts to give including a tablet, smartwatch, or earbuds. Customers love incentives, and this ad really hits the spot!
2. Swarovski
Bella Hadid plays the role of a fairy in this new holiday ad for Swarovski. In the advertisement, the fairy explores a magical world of Swarovski sparkling crystal jewellery with bells chiming in the background. This advertisement provides a refreshed brand identity, new packaging, and a goal to bring new and creative possibilities of crystal to the modern world.
3. Amazon
This short film by Amazon titled ‘Joy Is Made' is their holiday advertisement from 2022, which tells the story of a girl who is fascinated by her snow globe and it never leaves her sight. The snow globe accompanies her wherever she goes, including on a trip to the dentist. When her father understands how special the snow globe is to his daughter, he decides to recreate the scene in their greenhouse to bring its magic to real life. He orders materials for this thoughtful project through Amazon delivery, which is a clever way to insert the brand's presence in the ad. This ad communicates that joy can be made from the things we do for each other, and conjures feelings of warmth, nostalgia, and love which are feelings associated with the holiday season.
4. Chevrolet
This holiday ad by Chevrolet titled ‘Mrs. Hayes” tells a story of love and loss, and that love doesn't have to lessen with loss. The ad offers feelings of hope and warmth, and that spirit of community lives on through what we give back.
5. McDonald's
McDonald's demonstrates time and time again that they understand why their customers choose their brand. This displays a deep understanding of their customers' tastes, motivations, and purchasing behaviours that set their business apart. Take a look at this holiday advertisement by McDonald's Ireland, which taps into the audience's emotions and feelings of family bonds and nostalgia to add warmth to the idea of holiday festivity.
6. John Lewis
The British department store, John Lewis, produces some of the best holiday advertisements each year. They find a superb way to tie in some of their products and tie it all with a sentimental element for the holiday season. Check out this holiday advertisement by John Lewis from 2022, which displays the touching efforts of a foster parent to learn how to skateboard so that he can share this passion with his foster daughter. The advertisement ends with a statement of commitment to support the futures of young people who are in foster care and intends to interest the audience in how they can also help support this cause.
7. ASDA
ASDA is another British-owned example of setting the bar very high when it comes to its holiday campaigns! The British supermarket chain wittingly weaved in Will Farrell's character from the movie ‘Elf' who is seen interacting with various ASDA employees in one of their locations. This is a creative, fun, and nostalgic means to draw their audience's attention for the holiday season. You may access the advertisement here.
8. Etsy
Etsy is a popular online marketplace choice for various creators and shoppers alike. In this holiday ad, Etsy brought together different characters from around the world who are travelling back home to visit a loved one with unique and meaningful presents curated from Etsy. The message in this ad is about inclusivity, and that regardless of your budget and lifestyle, you will always be able to find handcrafted gifts on Etsy to make the holiday season a memorable time of year.
9. Samsung
When it comes to advertising, Samsung usually goes the literal route. This holiday advertisement by Samsung shares the story of two friends who are brought together by using the new function ‘Quick Share' which is Samsung's version of Apple's ‘AirDrop' on Samsung devices. This ad embodies the aspects of sharing and caring which is a popular theme for the festive holiday season.
10. Pepsi
Pepsi is a firm believer in star power, and they chose Cardi B as their partner in 2019. This holiday advertisement by Pepsi takes a modern approach. Cardi B is currently one of the most popular female rappers, and having Cardi B and her song in the Pepsi ad is a way to appeal to Pepsi's younger audiences.
11. Google Assistant
In Google's advertisement for the holidays, the tech giant stirs up all the Christmas feels by having Macaulay Culkin reenact iconic scenes from Home Alone. Google intelligently works its way within the McAllister home and highlights their smart home features that make Kevin's experience at home alone more comfortable and less chaotic than portrayed in the original film. There are countless studies showing that notalgia creates a sense of connectedness and this feeling reduces people's desire to hold on to money. When marketing plays into nostalgia, audiences are more likely to make emotionally driven purchases.
12. Disney
Disney's holiday advertisement titled ‘From Our Family To Yours' shares the story of beloved family traditions that make lifelong memories that hold families together, especially during the holiday period. The short film focuses on the concept of life changes and children growing up, yet continues to maintain cherished Christmas traditions which once again, focuses on the feeling of nostalgia and connectedness.
13. Heathrow Airport
Heathrow Airport's ‘The Heathrow Bears Return' is a short film featuring a bear family and these bears are nostalgic and relatable. They may even remind you of the bears you may have played with as a child and possibly even as the average grandparents. The holiday advertisement has many great aspects of an ad campaign since it is relatable, nostalgic, and very heartwarming.
14. Chase Bank
The nostalgia and star power of Home Alone is once again seen in this holiday ad by Chase Bank. Those who have grown up watching the Home Alone movies can experience the feeling of nostalgia that this ad evokes. Chase Bank doubled the star power in this advertisement with Catherine O'Hara reciting her iconic dialogue from the movie and Kevin Hart appearing as himself!
15. Starbucks
In 2021, Starbucks launched a limited edition reusable cup that was free of cost only on November 18. This was part of the company's mission to reduce single-use cup waste by 50% by 2030. This was a popular initiative that many consumers wanted to get behind! Starbucks has fun with its ads, and they are simple, creative, and spread holiday cheer.
16. Pringles
We're not too sure whether many people would gift Pringles as a stocking stuffer, but we sure do like a good pun! Pringle cites ‘Pringle Bells, Pringle Bells' which is made to rhyme with ‘Jingle Bells' and this adds to the holiday spirit with the creative pun. By using shapes, businesses can be clever and creative with their Christmas and holiday marketing campaigns by directly relating them back to their brand. The following ad by Pringles showcases a simple visual of the chips swirling upwards to make a Christmas tree which is a popular design for the holidays and speaks to the audience creatively.
17. VRBO
VRBO launched this holiday video ad in early November last year to capture the sentiments of those who may be dreading hosting Thanksgiving dinners and family get-togethers during the holidays, because of organizing the house and the clean-up required afterward. It is a clever holiday campaign because it offers the option of hosting a holiday party at another location so that your home can remain as it is.
18. Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz's marketing has always been focused on the safety, luxury, and precision engineering of its cars. For the holiday season, Mercedes-Benz crafted a holiday ad featuring a picture of the iconic 3-point Mercedes-Benz star atop a Christmas-tree-shaped shadow of the luxury car. It exudes simplicity yet grandeur and is sure to catch its audience's attention with its creative tree-shaped design with a star (literally) sitting on top of the tree.
19. Tide
As mentioned previously, shapes and words can work together with what your company offers to create a clear and strong design. The detergent company Tide cites ‘Wishing You A White Christmas' under a pen stain shaped like a Christmas tree on a white shirt, in their Christmas ad.
20. Taco Bell
There's no better way to say ‘I love you' than with food! Food is a universal language across all cultures. This is why food eGift cards are a great way to thank everyone involved in your business ecosystem. If you are on the lookout for a stocking stuffer or something more special, food gift cards are a great gift idea because this is something your family and friends will surely utilize. Taco Bell eGfit cards are an excellent holiday gift idea for your inspiration:
21. Kool-Aid
In this music video-styled ad from 2018, the rapper Lil Jon drinks a glass of Kool Aid, and begins rapping in front of a family Christmas gathering. Lil John, the Kool-Aid Man, and Santa are seen dancing next to shots of holiday food, presents, and Lil John's Christmas list. By featuring a prominent rapper in their holiday ad, Kool-Aid entertains their audience and shows everyone how “Kool” their brand can be.
22. Apple
This holiday advertisement by Apple shows that the iconic brand's iPad helps to maintain peace during the chaotic time of the holidays, when families are busy getting to one place from another, especially during times of travel. The bittersweet twist in the ad is that the iPad is used to create a gift for a loved one. This ad prioritizes emotional appeal, which is a popular emotion evoked during the holiday season.
Whether you have a brick-and-mortar business or manage an online company, the holiday season is a great opportunity to drive more revenue for your business. CAYK Marketing can help you develop a one-of-a-kind marketing strategy centred around the holiday season. We can help you freshen up your landing pages, create brand awareness, find other ways to target new customers, and everything in between! Contact us today to get started.
