How Christmas ads dine at our table

Sandra Caravana – Copywriter – WARNING: given the number of videos embedded in this article, the reader may suffer a small fit of inexplicable tears.

Premise for reading this article: advertising is one of the most creative things we get access to every day, for free.

An inspiration, then.

Sandra Caravana – Copywriter – WARNING: given the number of videos embedded in this article, the reader may suffer a small fit of inexplicable tears.

Premise for reading this article: advertising is one of the most creative things we get access to every day, for free.

An inspiration, then. Welcome to the enchanted world of Christmas advertising, where there are kings, princesses and reinvented ads. What do we want at Christmas?

We want to cry at seasonal advertising.

And has it always been that way?

Well, more or less.

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, or the season when Father Christmas comes down our chimney to leave presents. And can we talk about Christmas without the Coca-Cola ads? Impossible. Coca-Cola advertisement, 1931 The story goes that the recipe for the mythical drink was created in 1892, after prohibition in the United States, when the first version of the drink was used as a syrup for digestive problems. Since the 1920s, Coca-Cola had been trying to work the figure of Father Christmas into its posters. After a few not very successful attempts, in 1931 Haddon Sundblom created what is still today the Coca-Cola Father Christmas, inspired by Clement Clark Moore’s 1822 tale.

Legend has it that it was Coca-Cola (or Sundblom) who put the red in Father Christmas. Well, we like legends. But it is certain that, over all these years, Coca-Cola has worked hard to give us a friendly, likeable Father Christmas, the sort you’d want to invite round for dinner. So it was Coca-Cola that turned Father Christmas into a friend, to children and adults alike. JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjIxMDAlMjUlMjIlMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjI0MTUlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkJTJGVThKNUFvbFFaZzAlMjIlMjB0aXRsZSUzRCUyMllvdVR1YmUlMjB2aWRlbyUyMHBsYXllciUyMiUyMGZyYW1lYm9yZGVyJTNEJTIyMCUyMiUyMGFsbG93JTNEJTIyYWNjZWxlcm9tZXRlciUzQiUyMGF1dG9wbGF5JTNCJTIwY2xpcGJvYXJkLXdyaXRlJTNCJTIwZW5jcnlwdGVkLW1lZGlhJTNCJTIwZ3lyb3Njb3BlJTNCJTIwcGljdHVyZS1pbi1waWN0dXJlJTIyJTIwYWxsb3dmdWxsc2NyZWVuJTNFJTNDJTJGaWZyYW1lJTNF Source: Youtube The Coca-Cola Co. JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjIxMDAlMjUlMjIlMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjI0MTUlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkJTJGRTNXdmIwZGFwWkElMjIlMjB0aXRsZSUzRCUyMllvdVR1YmUlMjB2aWRlbyUyMHBsYXllciUyMiUyMGZyYW1lYm9yZGVyJTNEJTIyMCUyMiUyMGFsbG93JTNEJTIyYWNjZWxlcm9tZXRlciUzQiUyMGF1dG9wbGF5JTNCJTIwY2xpcGJvYXJkLXdyaXRlJTNCJTIwZW5jcnlwdGVkLW1lZGlhJTNCJTIwZ3lyb3Njb3BlJTNCJTIwcGljdHVyZS1pbi1waWN0dXJlJTIyJTIwYWxsb3dmdWxsc2NyZWVuJTNFJTNDJTJGaWZyYW1lJTNF Source: Youtube The Coca-Cola Co. But how does this image make us cry at Christmas? By bringing it to life, thanks to television. In 1995, Father Christmas arrived in town on a convoy of lorries spreading light and adrenaline!

We’ve already grasped how important the perfect illustration of a mythical being is in the world of Christmas ads. But we want more. We want to see Father Christmas in action. Can you manage that, Coca-Cola? JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjIxMDAlMjUlMjIlMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjI0MTUlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkJTJGeWc0TXE1RUFFenclMjIlMjB0aXRsZSUzRCUyMllvdVR1YmUlMjB2aWRlbyUyMHBsYXllciUyMiUyMGZyYW1lYm9yZGVyJTNEJTIyMCUyMiUyMGFsbG93JTNEJTIyYWNjZWxlcm9tZXRlciUzQiUyMGF1dG9wbGF5JTNCJTIwY2xpcGJvYXJkLXdyaXRlJTNCJTIwZW5jcnlwdGVkLW1lZGlhJTNCJTIwZ3lyb3Njb3BlJTNCJTIwcGljdHVyZS1pbi1waWN0dXJlJTIyJTIwYWxsb3dmdWxsc2NyZWVuJTNFJTNDJTJGaWZyYW1lJTNF Source: Youtube Coca-Cola In 2022, Coca-Cola’s Christmas ad kept the impeccably lit lorries and put the emphasis on the father in Father Christmas.

Let’s pause and dry our tears.

We’ve got the drink. Now we need the chocolate. JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjIxMDAlMjUlMjIlMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjI0MTUlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkJTJGbVRPNGR4aTVvQzAlMjIlMjB0aXRsZSUzRCUyMllvdVR1YmUlMjB2aWRlbyUyMHBsYXllciUyMiUyMGZyYW1lYm9yZGVyJTNEJTIyMCUyMiUyMGFsbG93JTNEJTIyYWNjZWxlcm9tZXRlciUzQiUyMGF1dG9wbGF5JTNCJTIwY2xpcGJvYXJkLXdyaXRlJTNCJTIwZW5jcnlwdGVkLW1lZGlhJTNCJTIwZ3lyb3Njb3BlJTNCJTIwcGljdHVyZS1pbi1waWN0dXJlJTIyJTIwYWxsb3dmdWxsc2NyZWVuJTNFJTNDJTJGaWZyYW1lJTNF Source: Youtube Ferrero Rocher Portugal We can buy Ferrero Rocher all year round, but it tastes special in December. We know the ad is a hit because we know the lines by heart: JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjIxMDAlMjUlMjIlMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjI0MTUlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkJTJGTHpvX2FucjdsY3MlMjIlMjB0aXRsZSUzRCUyMllvdVR1YmUlMjB2aWRlbyUyMHBsYXllciUyMiUyMGZyYW1lYm9yZGVyJTNEJTIyMCUyMiUyMGFsbG93JTNEJTIyYWNjZWxlcm9tZXRlciUzQiUyMGF1dG9wbGF5JTNCJTIwY2xpcGJvYXJkLXdyaXRlJTNCJTIwZW5jcnlwdGVkLW1lZGlhJTNCJTIwZ3lyb3Njb3BlJTNCJTIwcGljdHVyZS1pbi1waWN0dXJlJTIyJTIwYWxsb3dmdWxsc2NyZWVuJTNFJTNDJTJGaWZyYW1lJTNF Source: Youtube Worten Portugal Is it a Christmas ad? No. But it’s the brand’s choice to invest in advertising at this time of year. And food retail plays along: pyramids of Ferrero Rocher at supermarket entrances, at the tills, next to the salt cod. And this Christmas, at Worten too: JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjIxMDAlMjUlMjIlMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjI0MTUlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkJTJGTWtBdl94dnBmN1klMjIlMjB0aXRsZSUzRCUyMllvdVR1YmUlMjB2aWRlbyUyMHBsYXllciUyMiUyMGZyYW1lYm9yZGVyJTNEJTIyMCUyMiUyMGFsbG93JTNEJTIyYWNjZWxlcm9tZXRlciUzQiUyMGF1dG9wbGF5JTNCJTIwY2xpcGJvYXJkLXdyaXRlJTNCJTIwZW5jcnlwdGVkLW1lZGlhJTNCJTIwZ3lyb3Njb3BlJTNCJTIwcGljdHVyZS1pbi1waWN0dXJlJTIyJTIwYWxsb3dmdWxsc2NyZWVuJTNFJTNDJTJGaWZyYW1lJTNF Source: Youtube Worten Portugal If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it – that was the conclusion Worten’s marketing and communications department came to this year. Ambrósio becomes Armando and the friendly Father Christmas becomes…

Plagiarism? No. Worten’s brand voice is humorous, and it reinvented these ads with the person who has been the face of Worten all year: Ricardo Araújo Pereira. There’s continuity in the brand’s communication. It just happened to be Christmas and they didn’t change their tune.

In Portugal, we can be even more biting. But back to chocolates, iconic lines and sweet-toothed grandparents: JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjIxMDAlMjUlMjIlMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjI0MTUlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkJTJGNXAzTC1sS1g4X2MlMjIlMjB0aXRsZSUzRCUyMllvdVR1YmUlMjB2aWRlbyUyMHBsYXllciUyMiUyMGZyYW1lYm9yZGVyJTNEJTIyMCUyMiUyMGFsbG93JTNEJTIyYWNjZWxlcm9tZXRlciUzQiUyMGF1dG9wbGF5JTNCJTIwY2xpcGJvYXJkLXdyaXRlJTNCJTIwZW5jcnlwdGVkLW1lZGlhJTNCJTIwZ3lyb3Njb3BlJTNCJTIwcGljdHVyZS1pbi1waWN0dXJlJTIyJTIwYWxsb3dmdWxsc2NyZWVuJTNFJTNDJTJGaWZyYW1lJTNF Source: Youtube Helderhugo The Christmas ad for Imperial’s milk chocolates was on air for 18 years, from 1980. It couldn’t fail to mark generations. These days, Imperial doesn’t invest in television ads, but in social media instead. You could say it was a one-hit wonder. The Magic of Television at Christmas

Television wasn’t created to hypnotise anyone (although plenty of subliminal-message theories do sound credible). The aim was always togetherness: the family gathers in front of the television to watch the Eurovision Song Contest or the World Cup final, bringing together families all over the world.

Television is movement and colour.

Television shows the movement of the golden dress and hat on the noblewoman in the Ferrero Rocher ad, matching the chocolate’s wrapper – turned this year into Worten Red.

It’s on television that we follow the route of Coca-Cola’s illuminated lorries. JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjIxMDAlMjUlMjIlMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjI0MTUlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkJTJGdGZPeDBLN1VkRDQlMjIlMjB0aXRsZSUzRCUyMllvdVR1YmUlMjB2aWRlbyUyMHBsYXllciUyMiUyMGZyYW1lYm9yZGVyJTNEJTIyMCUyMiUyMGFsbG93JTNEJTIyYWNjZWxlcm9tZXRlciUzQiUyMGF1dG9wbGF5JTNCJTIwY2xpcGJvYXJkLXdyaXRlJTNCJTIwZW5jcnlwdGVkLW1lZGlhJTNCJTIwZ3lyb3Njb3BlJTNCJTIwcGljdHVyZS1pbi1waWN0dXJlJTIyJTIwYWxsb3dmdWxsc2NyZWVuJTNFJTNDJTJGaWZyYW1lJTNF Source: Youtube Noah Johnson And the music?

Movement, colour, music and butterflies at performing in public. From 1989, this short Hershey’s Kisses film: chocolates as little kisses.

But in Portugal, in plain Portuguese, who gave us the best Christmas song? Pingo Doce.

Released at Christmas 2021, the song stayed in our ears all year. Quim Albergaria (Paus, Bateu Matou, The Vicious Five) and Manuel Palha (Capitão Fausto) know that rhymes work on television. The song tells the story of a traditional Portuguese family sitting down at the table, with a little help from Pingo Doce. A hit thanks to the fusion of the traditional world with the pop world. And so “O Natal Traz o Melhor de Nós” is the most-sung Christmas song in Portugal, beating Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas is You” – so the legend goes. JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjIxMDAlMjUlMjIlMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjI0MTUlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkJTJGc0dCTjg1WExqWEklMjIlMjB0aXRsZSUzRCUyMllvdVR1YmUlMjB2aWRlbyUyMHBsYXllciUyMiUyMGZyYW1lYm9yZGVyJTNEJTIyMCUyMiUyMGFsbG93JTNEJTIyYWNjZWxlcm9tZXRlciUzQiUyMGF1dG9wbGF5JTNCJTIwY2xpcGJvYXJkLXdyaXRlJTNCJTIwZW5jcnlwdGVkLW1lZGlhJTNCJTIwZ3lyb3Njb3BlJTNCJTIwcGljdHVyZS1pbi1waWN0dXJlJTIyJTIwYWxsb3dmdWxsc2NyZWVuJTNFJTNDJTJGaWZyYW1lJTNF Source: Youtube Pingo Doce You’d expect Pingo Doce (we’re always talking about brands here, not companies, because that’s what the consumer sees) to repeat the song at Christmas 2022. Well, no. They took a risk and:

Created by the same marketing agency – BBDO Portugal – and using the same voice – Carolina Milhanas – “O Natal sente-se à mesa” has the same ingredients as the previous year’s campaign, with the added flavour of saving money. Could Pingo Doce have kept the 2021 song and changed only the video? It could have, but it wouldn’t have been the same thing.

Both campaigns use warm colours and elements: the yellow of the fireplace and the brown of bread coming out of the wood-fired oven. Both bring the family together around a well-laden table.

Pingo Doce doesn’t create a Christmas jingle. It creates music, a story and a hit.

We now have enough examples to reach a first conclusion:

Christmas ads are a lesson in storytelling JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjIxMDAlMjUlMjIlMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjI0MTUlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkJTJGVXRRdWlwMlpkUXclMjIlMjB0aXRsZSUzRCUyMllvdVR1YmUlMjB2aWRlbyUyMHBsYXllciUyMiUyMGZyYW1lYm9yZGVyJTNEJTIyMCUyMiUyMGFsbG93JTNEJTIyYWNjZWxlcm9tZXRlciUzQiUyMGF1dG9wbGF5JTNCJTIwY2xpcGJvYXJkLXdyaXRlJTNCJTIwZW5jcnlwdGVkLW1lZGlhJTNCJTIwZ3lyb3Njb3BlJTNCJTIwcGljdHVyZS1pbi1waWN0dXJlJTIyJTIwYWxsb3dmdWxsc2NyZWVuJTNFJTNDJTJGaWZyYW1lJTNF Source: Youtube Gato Preto A lesson that can be carried over to social media, with that same movement, colour and music. Recently, Madalena Abecasis, a Portuguese digital influencer – who plays the madame in the 1.22 Ferrero Rocher version for Worten – was the star of an Instagram ad for the shop Gato Preto:

What did Tia Madalena bring us? Fun, comedy, entertainment. And the fusion of a social media hit with a well-regarded interiors shop in Portugal. Writing and doing comedy is hard. The criticism wasn’t long in coming: the ad has no plot.

But was it supposed to?

It helps. Without one, it’s like trying to eat an orange without peeling it.

The recipe is, in theory, simple: beginning, middle, end.

And to follow that order, there are various storytelling strategies.

The best known has a woman’s name: AIDA. Let’s look at what each letter stands for:

A: ATTENTION – getting the reader/consumer’s attention

I: INTEREST – new, interesting information that draws the reader/consumer in

D: DESIRE – the benefits of your product/idea/service

A: ACTION – ask for an action, a response. In digital marketing, this is where we put the call to action (CTA).

If the AIDA recipe doesn’t fully meet the needs of your plot, of your narrative, if it doesn’t fit the tone of voice you’ve chosen, here are a few more options:

PAS

P: Problem

A: Action

S: Solution

BAB

B: BEFORE

A: AFTER

B: BRIDGE

ACCA

A: Awareness

C: Comprehension

C: Conviction

A: Action

Whichever framework you choose, what do they have in common?

They end with the ask, the CTA. They end with an explicit request, even if disguised, for the reader/consumer to do something. And that something is usually to buy.

So what are the attributes of a good story for an unforgettable Christmas ad?

1. The idea has to hold the consumer’s attention;
2. Next, the idea should bring together all the brand’s values;
3. On top of that, the idea should communicate the brand’s value proposition, showing the consumer its benefits;
4. And finally, the idea should be memorable, creating an emotional bond between brand and consumer.

With every Christmas ad, the criticism arrives like fairy lights blowing on the tree in 1999. Tastes and criticism aside, brands have a golden opportunity here to show their voice and their tone.

Voice and tone (of voice) are different concepts. A brand’s voice is always the same, but the tone shifts according to the situation. And at Christmas it (almost) always turns melancholy, even for brands with a more serious voice: Source: Bons Tutoriais JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjIxMDAlMjUlMjIlMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjI0MTUlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkJTJGeXdqZlNWckNxbmslMjIlMjB0aXRsZSUzRCUyMllvdVR1YmUlMjB2aWRlbyUyMHBsYXllciUyMiUyMGZyYW1lYm9yZGVyJTNEJTIyMCUyMiUyMGFsbG93JTNEJTIyYWNjZWxlcm9tZXRlciUzQiUyMGF1dG9wbGF5JTNCJTIwY2xpcGJvYXJkLXdyaXRlJTNCJTIwZW5jcnlwdGVkLW1lZGlhJTNCJTIwZ3lyb3Njb3BlJTNCJTIwcGljdHVyZS1pbi1waWN0dXJlJTIyJTIwYWxsb3dmdWxsc2NyZWVuJTNFJTNDJTJGaWZyYW1lJTNF Source: Youtube Yell In 2022, all the information we need is a click away. In 1992 it wasn’t quite like that. Who still has a Páginas Amarelas directory at home?

And what if we told – or retold – a true story in a Christmas ad? In 2014, Sainsbury’s, a well-known UK supermarket, did just that. 1914 tells the story of the First World War soldiers who laid down their weapons for a game of football: JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjIxMDAlMjUlMjIlMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjI0MTUlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkJTJGTldGMkpCYjFidk0lMjIlMjB0aXRsZSUzRCUyMllvdVR1YmUlMjB2aWRlbyUyMHBsYXllciUyMiUyMGZyYW1lYm9yZGVyJTNEJTIyMCUyMiUyMGFsbG93JTNEJTIyYWNjZWxlcm9tZXRlciUzQiUyMGF1dG9wbGF5JTNCJTIwY2xpcGJvYXJkLXdyaXRlJTNCJTIwZW5jcnlwdGVkLW1lZGlhJTNCJTIwZ3lyb3Njb3BlJTNCJTIwcGljdHVyZS1pbi1waWN0dXJlJTIyJTIwYWxsb3dmdWxsc2NyZWVuJTNFJTNDJTJGaWZyYW1lJTNF Source: Youtube Sainsbury’s Christmas ads in Portugal – causes and tears

In Portugal, the competition runs through the telecoms companies. Not only in the services they sell, but in their Christmas ads. JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjIxMDAlMjUlMjIlMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjI0MTUlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkJTJGYjdQTG1uSVdseTQlMjIlMjB0aXRsZSUzRCUyMllvdVR1YmUlMjB2aWRlbyUyMHBsYXllciUyMiUyMGZyYW1lYm9yZGVyJTNEJTIyMCUyMiUyMGFsbG93JTNEJTIyYWNjZWxlcm9tZXRlciUzQiUyMGF1dG9wbGF5JTNCJTIwY2xpcGJvYXJkLXdyaXRlJTNCJTIwZW5jcnlwdGVkLW1lZGlhJTNCJTIwZ3lyb3Njb3BlJTNCJTIwcGljdHVyZS1pbi1waWN0dXJlJTIyJTIwYWxsb3dmdWxsc2NyZWVuJTNFJTNDJTJGaWZyYW1lJTNF Source: Youtube NOS Portugal This year, NOS went with a campaign called O Carrossel (created by O Escritório):

The campaign sets out to put an end to loneliness, in an ad that lightly touches on depression. Why has it worked so well?

1. The music. The arrangement of Simple Minds’ Don’t You (Forget About Me) is brilliantly delicate.
2. It doesn’t fall into gender or age stereotypes. The main character, the one who feels alone, is a man, still young, after a break-up.
3. It backs a cause. NOS teamed up with SOS Voz Amiga, the country’s oldest telephone helpline, a service that gives emotional support to those who need it. How does that help from NOS translate? By boosting its customers’ mobile data, call minutes and texts.

NOS thus comfortably outdoes the much-criticised 2021 Christmas ad, whose main character was a very dissatisfied little girl: JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjIxMDAlMjUlMjIlMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjI0MTUlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkJTJGQmgtUEJKdmhHQVUlMjIlMjB0aXRsZSUzRCUyMllvdVR1YmUlMjB2aWRlbyUyMHBsYXllciUyMiUyMGZyYW1lYm9yZGVyJTNEJTIyMCUyMiUyMGFsbG93JTNEJTIyYWNjZWxlcm9tZXRlciUzQiUyMGF1dG9wbGF5JTNCJTIwY2xpcGJvYXJkLXdyaXRlJTNCJTIwZW5jcnlwdGVkLW1lZGlhJTNCJTIwZ3lyb3Njb3BlJTNCJTIwcGljdHVyZS1pbi1waWN0dXJlJTIyJTIwYWxsb3dmdWxsc2NyZWVuJTNFJTNDJTJGaWZyYW1lJTNF Source: Youtube NOS Portugal O Amigo Impossível has a beginning, a middle and an end. It presents a problem and its solution – a good example of the PAS framework. So why was it so criticised? There’s no emotion. And the girl’s wish is only granted through virtual reality, ignoring all her parents’ attempts to surprise her.

Emotion. Something NOS pulled off so well in 2020, the year of the pandemic, with A Separação: JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjIxMDAlMjUlMjIlMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjI0MTUlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkJTJGQWE0VDNDb3AyZU0lMjIlMjB0aXRsZSUzRCUyMllvdVR1YmUlMjB2aWRlbyUyMHBsYXllciUyMiUyMGZyYW1lYm9yZGVyJTNEJTIyMCUyMiUyMGFsbG93JTNEJTIyYWNjZWxlcm9tZXRlciUzQiUyMGF1dG9wbGF5JTNCJTIwY2xpcGJvYXJkLXdyaXRlJTNCJTIwZW5jcnlwdGVkLW1lZGlhJTNCJTIwZ3lyb3Njb3BlJTNCJTIwcGljdHVyZS1pbi1waWN0dXJlJTIyJTIwYWxsb3dmdWxsc2NyZWVuJTNFJTNDJTJGaWZyYW1lJTNF Source: Youtube NOS Portugal Is there a recipe for creating emotion?

No.

There are writing practices that can be trained.

The competition in 2021 was fierce. It was the year Vodafone publicly joined forces with the Comissão para a Cidadania e a Igualdade de Género – CIG – to fight domestic violence.

Começar de novo tells a story of domestic violence, a chronic problem in Portugal. Vodafone didn’t try to be original: it was real. They created emotion and a sense of recognition. Vodafone, in partnership with the CIG, gave communications services to shelters for victims of domestic violence right across the country. JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjIxMDAlMjUlMjIlMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjI0MTUlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkJTJGMDBBc0NhelhLaGslMjIlMjB0aXRsZSUzRCUyMllvdVR1YmUlMjB2aWRlbyUyMHBsYXllciUyMiUyMGZyYW1lYm9yZGVyJTNEJTIyMCUyMiUyMGFsbG93JTNEJTIyYWNjZWxlcm9tZXRlciUzQiUyMGF1dG9wbGF5JTNCJTIwY2xpcGJvYXJkLXdyaXRlJTNCJTIwZW5jcnlwdGVkLW1lZGlhJTNCJTIwZ3lyb3Njb3BlJTNCJTIwcGljdHVyZS1pbi1waWN0dXJlJTIyJTIwYWxsb3dmdWxsc2NyZWVuJTNFJTNDJTJGaWZyYW1lJTNF Source: Vodafone Portugal At the start of this video, we don’t understand what’s happening, or how serious the situation is. This build-up of suspense isn’t exclusive to fantasy novels. And this script proves it.

And this has been Vodafone’s great trick: creating suspense by telling the story very slowly. It had already done it in 2020, with Canto de Natal: JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjIxMDAlMjUlMjIlMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjI0MTUlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkJTJGZDNpaVc3c0FYUHclMjIlMjB0aXRsZSUzRCUyMllvdVR1YmUlMjB2aWRlbyUyMHBsYXllciUyMiUyMGZyYW1lYm9yZGVyJTNEJTIyMCUyMiUyMGFsbG93JTNEJTIyYWNjZWxlcm9tZXRlciUzQiUyMGF1dG9wbGF5JTNCJTIwY2xpcGJvYXJkLXdyaXRlJTNCJTIwZW5jcnlwdGVkLW1lZGlhJTNCJTIwZ3lyb3Njb3BlJTNCJTIwcGljdHVyZS1pbi1waWN0dXJlJTIyJTIwYWxsb3dmdWxsc2NyZWVuJTNFJTNDJTJGaWZyYW1lJTNF Source: Vodafone Portugal More than an ad

Christmas campaigns are more than a brand trying to sell something. They’re stories told as short films.

Christmas ads show brands’ causes, their social responsibility, their values. They show their value proposition.

Every 22 December, a Spaniard wins a prize on El Gordo, Spain’s Christmas lottery. In 2016, the El Gordo campaign told the story of a grandmother who, on seeing an old advert on television, becomes convinced she has won the lottery. The ad holds our attention for 5 minutes, because the joy is contagious. JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjIxMDAlMjUlMjIlMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjI0MTUlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkJTJGbHlFVXRsa0hmNlUlMjIlMjB0aXRsZSUzRCUyMllvdVR1YmUlMjB2aWRlbyUyMHBsYXllciUyMiUyMGZyYW1lYm9yZGVyJTNEJTIyMCUyMiUyMGFsbG93JTNEJTIyYWNjZWxlcm9tZXRlciUzQiUyMGF1dG9wbGF5JTNCJTIwY2xpcGJvYXJkLXdyaXRlJTNCJTIwZW5jcnlwdGVkLW1lZGlhJTNCJTIwZ3lyb3Njb3BlJTNCJTIwcGljdHVyZS1pbi1waWN0dXJlJTIyJTIwYWxsb3dmdWxsc2NyZWVuJTNFJTNDJTJGaWZyYW1lJTNF Source: Youtube MarketingDirecto And if there were a prize for the best Christmas ad of 2022…

There’s a line separating Vodafone from NOS. That line fades at Christmas. Why? Because Christmas is family, love, getting together, friendship. And when we share ties, or customers, what matters is the cause.

In 2022, Vodafone gave us a present: JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjIxMDAlMjUlMjIlMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjI0MTUlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkJTJGYTF6ZXNWQkg1eWMlMjIlMjB0aXRsZSUzRCUyMllvdVR1YmUlMjB2aWRlbyUyMHBsYXllciUyMiUyMGZyYW1lYm9yZGVyJTNEJTIyMCUyMiUyMGFsbG93JTNEJTIyYWNjZWxlcm9tZXRlciUzQiUyMGF1dG9wbGF5JTNCJTIwY2xpcGJvYXJkLXdyaXRlJTNCJTIwZW5jcnlwdGVkLW1lZGlhJTNCJTIwZ3lyb3Njb3BlJTNCJTIwcGljdHVyZS1pbi1waWN0dXJlJTIyJTIwYWxsb3dmdWxsc2NyZWVuJTNFJTNDJTJGaWZyYW1lJTNF Source: Youtube Vodafone Portugal O Primeiro Passo fits the young image Vodafone has always kept throughout its life, with music that doesn’t pull attention away from the images and a story, told at a calm pace, of a young boy saved by a phone call.

According to the World Health Organisation, one in seven young people and adolescents worldwide has a mental health problem. Vodafone is asking you to share your story with #PartilhaOQueEstásASentir

Share: Christmas dinner, the presents, a good wine and your favourite ad, as if it were a mini Home Alone.