Festival ads, typically for Diwali (in India) and Christmas globally, are a highlight of the annual advertising calendar. The consumer is naturally inclined to spend and in a feel-good, celebratory mood. Brands which can become part of the celebrations and this which tell a compelling, relatable story stand a better chance to be noticed & liked. My weekly collection of clutter-breaking ads features Christmas ads from Waitrose, Apple and more among others.
Waitrose & Partners: The Perfect Gift sequel
Getting a sequel right is tough for both movies and ads. People come with expectations and tend to compare with the original hit. Last year, Waitrose released ‘The Perfect Gift‘ a charming love story starring Keira Knightley with ‘they lived happily after’ as the end. Plot twist: Keira Knightley is getting married but not to the protagonist from last year. How he manages to make her as if he will marry her, with a little help from Waitrose of course, is the central story this year. Loved it.
Agency: Wonderhood Studios
The little touches I loved: portrayal of the new ‘groom’ as a vain, self-centred guy, the BTS clips which take forward the story and help the idea go viral, the wry humour even in the description for the advert on YouTube:
This Christmas, everyone’s favourite unlikely couple returns for another chapter of festive romance. But this time, they find themselves walking down a very different kind of aisle…
Just loved the whole package. 5 stars. Many ad industry folks have emphasised the need for brand communications to ‘match’ the style & format of the content they are surrounded by in a medium. Nathan Ansell, Chief Customer Officer, Waitrose sums it up best:
We want to be the entertainer rather than interrupting the entertainment.”
The National Lottery UK: Believe
I have my reservations on people becoming addictive to buying lottery tickets, ‘betting’ that some day they ‘might’ win big. But the category is a success globally because it taps into human nature. We all ‘hope’ for the better, that we get lucky and don’t mind taking a gamble when we have chance. Las Vegas and casinos, anyone? In the lottery category, ‘Hey, you never know‘ was a famous tagline of New York Lottery which best captures that sentiment. A new ad from Allwyn UK, which operates The National Lottery says ‘amazing things happen when you believe’. Coach Ted Lasso in Apple TV’s famous show had ‘Believe’ as his philosophy – an attitude that kindles hope in many and seems like a good fit to the category. And hey, can you go wrong when you have animals who aren’t meant to fly, actually fly?
Agency: VCCP
Netflix: Find The Thing You Never Knew You Needed
Apparently, the term ‘binge-watching’ was first documented in September 1996 in online fan discussions about the television show The X-Files. But ever since streaming services started releasing entire seasons of its original programs at one go (as opposed to appointment viewing or releasing one episode per week on traditional TV) the term has become common parlance. A new campaign from Netflix celebrates viewer obsession of shows and their attitude of going to great lengths to watch. What works is the quirky humour, the unconventional protagonists and tapping into human insight: we’ve all stumbled upon shows randomly and have been pleasantly surprised how they hooked us. Of the three films released I loved ‘Axolotl’ and ‘Dawn’. The campaign line ‘Find The Thing You Never Knew You Needed’ is brilliant given how obsessed we become of some random true crime, rom-com or crime shows from countries we’d have normally never have discovered.
Agency: Mother
Apple Holiday Film: The Dreamer
I was critical of the new Diwali ad from Apple India, but have long been a fan of Apple’s ‘holiday’ ad. In 2013, Apple released ‘Misunderstood’ – one of my all time favourite Christmas ads. A seemingly disengaged teenager at a family Christmas gathering, is constantly on his iPhone. The story sets up tension only to reveal a touching denouement: he was editing the family holiday video on his phone. That moment brings the family together and tears in the viewer’s eyes. I don’t even celebrate Christmas yet I was moved watching the film on YouTube thousands of miles away. ‘Fuzzy Feelings‘, a 2023 film, blend of live action and stop-motion animation where an office worker transforms her feelings toward a grumpy boss. Again, it moved me – evoked an emotion and a sense of wonder at the advertising craft. Such efforts go a long way in making the halo around Apple brighter.
The first surprise for me about the 2026 film was that MacBook Neo has been made the hero, not the iPhone. It tells the story of a young boy whose imagination comes to life through his drawings. A montage suggesting rejections and bullying following leading to a crescendo where it suggests self-doubt about his creative ability and a being at a low. One can guess the climax – he is presented with a MacBook Neo by his parents. I guess the lack of a plot twist or an unexpected ‘aha!’ moment make it a notch lower than classics like ‘Misunderstood’ but works nevertheless and has repeat value. In my view, appealing to a young audience with the MacBook Neo brings them into the Apple ecoystem early and reinforces the image of the Mac being a creative person’s natural choice.
Agency: TBWA\Media Arts Lab
Aer Lingus: The Iris Airline
There’s a famous comedy clip which suggests that American English is different because they have to name things specifying exactly what it does. Not ‘pavement’ but ‘side walk’. Not ‘bin’ but ‘waste paper basket’ and so on. I was reminded of that when I saw the premise of this ad for Aer Lingus who have signed up Irish actor, writer and producer Sharon Horgan for a new US brand campaign. The objective of simply equating the name with the nation is achieved cleverly as the actor ‘meets’ the team from the airline and makes the suggestion about equating it with the nation (a common practice in the industry. No Qantas is not an exception – it refers to a region in Australia and stands for ‘Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services‘).
Agency: Uncommon Creative Studio
Amazon: Joy Delivered
In India, Amazon has created several heartwarming films anchored on ‘Deliver the love’. The central business remains the hero but packaged with the emotions attached to human connections and acts of kindness. We see that coming together in the latest Christmas film – ‘Joy Delivered’. The protagonist, played by New Zealand actress Kate Laidler, attempts to get home by any means – bus, trailer, boat and taxi, after extreme weather cancels all departing flights. During the arduos journey, she gives away the presents she has packed to the people who help her, until only one remains, tagged for ‘Mom’. Although one can make out that parts of the film are AI generated it still doesn’t feel all plasticky and fake thanks to the central story, mix of real life shooting and the choice of song: ’Golden Slumbers’ by The Beatles.
Apple Pay: food fight
Edgar Wright, the director of Shaun of the Dead and Baby Driver has directed a new film with. a quirky premise to highlight Apple Pay’s promise of ‘fast, easy, and secure way to pay’. It’s a martial arts style comic film where the actors pick items from a convenience store as ‘weapons’. Only our hero is able to pay quickly and seamlessly with his phone while others fumble and struggle with their wallets. Features such as Face ID verification are subtly highlighted in this fast-paced film which keeps you hooked.
Nike: New York Marathon 2026
This year, The New York Times published the full list of marathon finishers in a special section of their print edition. Nike created an admeant to be an ode to the marathoners, capturing their emotions. Aside from the lovely copywriting, the art direction is top notch – notice how the paragraph starting ‘Just as everything…’ is ‘designed’. Also the execution defies notions like ‘all caps is like shouting, it is difficult to read’.
Aside from the print, Nike also created outdoors – carrying forward the smart, smile inducing tone of voice from previous campaigns.
Boots: gifts that get used
The true test of a gift lies perhaps in how often it is used. The premise ‘gift the gifts they won’t just leave in a cupboard to gather dust’ works well in a film that dramatises how consumers ‘won’t be able to put down, won’t stop wearing, holding, withholding, squeezing till the last drop.‘ I liked the little touches like showcasing the latest skincare fad such as the mask and hilarity of carrying hair straighteners to the unlikeliest of places.
Agency: VML
Disney: The invisible horse
‘Magic’ is the essence of Disney. The creative expressions vary across their properties. An old classic ad captures that essence even in routine daily life so well. Disney’s new Christmas ad features a small boy who think he’s too old for Christmas. That’s a universal insight true of Christmas and festivals in other faiths too – children think they have outgrown some traditions. The boy then befriends an invisible creature that reminds him of what makes Christmas so magical. It’s all feel-good fantasy that makes Disney such a resilient brand across decades and loved by folks of all generations.
Agency: adam&eve\TBWA
RIMOWA: a life of no unread emails
Craftsmanship, supreme quality and exclusivity are the three key pillars of luxury brands, not just the price tag. RIMOWA a luggage brand from LVMH positions itself as a ‘luggage for creative retreats and personal passions. RIMOWA encourages personal journeys and moments of self-discovery‘. In their latest holiday campaign they use stop-motion, to transform their iconic suitcases into miniature worlds – brought to life playfully with handcrafted elements in felt, paper, clay and wood. Loved it. In the age of AI, it is so refreshing to see human craft – as we saw with Apple’s idents for Apple TV and Apple Music.
Shopify: just an idea
Pimple patches, a sofa for dogs and a decal that stops pigeons from crashing into windows: all of them are business ideas. But they are merely ideas on paper if not executed as a business. A lot of us realise this. A new ad from Shopify is like a rallying call for regular folks who have ‘ideas’ but are either hesitant to make it a reality or don’t know where to start. Loved the voice over:
“Just an idea. What good is just an idea? We all have ideas, thousands of them, and most of them don’t stick. But every once in a while, you get hit by one. A big idea, a crazy idea. So you entertain your idea, float your idea, bounce it around until your idea meets reality. And reality has a different idea. You don’t have the money. You don’t know the right people. You don’t know what you’re doing. You don’t have the time. You don’t even know where to start. And maybe that’s true. So you go quiet, stop dreaming, and slowly your big idea starts sounding like a bad idea. Just an idea. Unless, of course, all you need to make something real was just an idea. Go go go go go go go go go. So yeah, now all you need is just an idea.”
Agency: Mother
Savlon Swasth India Mission – We Love Antibiotics
The fact: regular intake of antibiotics is making them less effective against infection-causing germs. Because Germs are learning to resist our medicines. Savlon’s new social messaging turns that into a creative idea – that we are now treating antibiotics like household sweets or snacks. We are popping pills for minor ailments like a cold, headache, or stomach ache without a prescription. It offers a preventive measure – handwashing, as fewer infections mean fewer antibiotics needed. I liked the gentle mocking approach instead of a fear inducing or reprimanding one.
Agency: Ogilvy
Which one was your favourite? Do comment in.
