“Is there anyone so wise as to learn by the experience of others?
Voltaire
This is the time of the year that brands roll out their seasonal offerings on this side of the Atlantic. Christmas storytelling is all about connecting with your audience on an emotional basis. Your storytelling can be based on traditional themes or can be innovative storytelling that shows us a contemporary seasonal viewpoint. No matter what approach large brands take, there is something that all brands can learn from their efforts about telling better stories.
Aldi Christmas Advert ft. Kevin The Carrot 2017
One of my favorite big brand offerings this Christmas, this video has it all. It has a character that takes a perilous journey with an underlying tongue in cheek tone approach. It easily captures the viewer’s attention and shows cases the brand well.
Top Tip
Give your story a main character the audience can relate to. Kevin the Carrot is a perfect example of a main character we can all relate to.
M&S Christmas TV Ad 2017 | Paddington & The Christmas Visitor
Wonderful nostalgic ad featuring the Paddingting Bear character, the video is full of humor and fun. It tells the story of the evening Paddington Bear saved Christmas for one lucky London Street.
Top Tip
The key to great storytelling is knowing the story you want to tell and telling that story in a simple manner.
John Lewis Christmas Ad 2017 – #MozTheMonster
Every child is scared of the imaginary monster in its room at some time and this ad plays on this theme. Moz is the friendly playful monster that lives under the child’s bed. This ad, which is cinematically spectacular and well produced, aims to engage its audience on an emotional level.
Top Tip
Think carefully how you are going to emotionally engage your audience.
Barbour Christmas Ad 2017 – The Snowman and The Snow dog
Barbour continues with their “The Snowman and Snow dog” animation, which is beautifully animated, and captures the essence of a picture perfect Christmas.
Top Tip
Quality content speaks for itself.
Mulberry presents: My True Love Gave to Me
A stylish interpretation of the well-known “12 Days of Christmas” song, which is a visual treat and amuses their audience.
Top Tip
Look for an interesting angle on a common approach to your storytelling.
“The ear is the avenue to the heart.”
Voltaire
Great storytelling is about looking for unusual angles for common themes and producing high quality output. It is also important to remember not to forget how to maintain that emotional connection that your audience wants from your content. Think about your audience’s expectations and how you can exceed these expectations. Some of these large brands have big shoes to fill following some spectacularly successful Christmas videos. Christmas storytelling tells us, that despite having big budgets and amazing talent; it is not an easy matter to get your storytelling right. However it is always good to be able to learn from the experience of others.