Learning from the Holiday Ad Barrage: Generating Video Content Ideas

Many brands and companies know that they need to produce a regular stream of video content, but putting together a strategy that is more than just an outright promotional spot for products or services can be challenging. If we want something creative, and something that works, we need a starting point. Let’s start with that word that is being tossed around a lot lately (actually since the beginning of advertising time), “empathy.”

One of the easiest ways to see how brands use empathy to develop their video content is during the holiday season – usher in the 2019 holiday ads! This year, as with most, holidays mean togetherness, happiness, and being able to put a smile on someone’s face. But before they (the brand) could pick one of those ideas and run with it they would have needed to understand how customers interact with their products or use their services. What problem are they solving for their customers? And what feeling is that associated with?

Agency Adam&EveDDB created the much anticipated John Lewis & Partners holiday ad for 2019 (John Lewis ads are particularly good at plucking emotional heart strings). However, this year John Lewis teamed up with Waitrose & Partners, to put together this live action/animated commercial titled “Excitable Edgar”. Have a watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7QrhfTx0nw&feature=emb_logo

Not once, in the 2:30 runtime, is there a catalogue placement – it’s not the John Lewis style. John Lewis (or their agency) builds a story around a feeling (in this case feelings associated with being accepted for who you are), and usually, a loveable character that melts parent’s hearts as much as it would children’s. It’s imaginative, it’s a fairytale, it works. But the story also mirrors the anticipation that people have for the season, for the John Lewis catalogue, and over the past few years, for these annual commercials.

The manufactured problem with this spot is the need for Edgar the Dragon to fit in. DDB does a fantastic job of building anticipation.  We wants Edgar to be accepted by the village people (similar to how we feel a desire to be accepted by our peers), and through the build in anticipation we are reminded of that feeling, and satisfied when presented with the solution. Nothing tangible has been offered here, just a feeling, and a thoughtful, empathetic solution, which connects with the John Lewis brand.

Following in line with the department store theme is Myer’s new ad, “Christmas is Where We Are.” Again, this is ad was built up from a feeling, the need for inclusion. Agency ClemengerBBDO wanted us to feel, or experience that crushing fear that children have during the holidays of the possibility that they might be missed by Santa (the problem).

The solution here was the “thoughtfulness” or empathy displayed by the grandfather for his granddaughter. Again, there is no catalogue placement, just the reminder of how helping solve someone’s problems makes us feel.

Another fast rising “holiday classic” ad is from Argos, by the agency The&Partnership UK, titled “The Book of Dreams.” Yes, this one has product placement right at the beginning, but it’s marked up and dreamed over by a young girl. The&Partnership knows how their client’s product (catalogue) is being used and they work off of the feeling associated with that. The girl wants a drum set, but she also dreams for something more, to be part of something bigger (i.e. performing in front of hysterical fans – what child doesn’t want that?). Or, at least, that’s how the father dreams it. The problem is solved by matching the father’s awoken childhood dream with his daughter’s dream. Everyone wants to see their child succeed, and here, opening the door to the pathway for success is achieved through empathy.

The last one is a little different. It still hinges it’s creative on a feeling, that of fitting in, but they haven’t tied it to the holiday season in the way that the previous three have.

The commercial spot is for Dick’s Sporting Goods, titled “The New Kid,” developed by the agency Anomaly. Everyone knows how it feels to be the new kid, you just want to fit in. Finding a connection with others, is the problem. The solution … have a look, and judge for yourself.

Once you have an understanding of how your customers interact with your product or services, look at the feeling associated with that interaction, and build your creative off of that. Thinking of your video content in that framework will help give you more diverse ideas for your content, and the ability to bring more creativity into your productions.

Get those video content ideas flowing.

Looking for video production? Have a look at some of our past video work or check us out at DesignRush.