BETC Paris on Believing in Christmas Advertising

What’s your favourite Christmas campaign this year and why?

BT: I have to say I found this year’s Xmas ads overall a bit less impressive than last year. Many of them seem very focussed on the product and you get the feeling that there’s been less creative liberty and more client pressure.

Nonetheless, there are some really good campaigns out there!

I really liked Sainsbury’s Mog's Christmas Calamity by AMV BBDO. I loved the catastrophic chain of events and its simple solution: Christmas is for Sharing. It’s a simple idea, it’s true and it’s somehting we all need right now. I also liked our baby warthog film, Best Friend for Canal+. In fact, it has a few things in common with the Sainsbury's campaign: two stories of pets that mess up your home… 

How do you think France has performed this year and what will it take into 2016?

SX: We have been through a very hard and turbulent couple of months in France with the tragic attacks in Paris. I think we all feel a need to get together and give each other a hug.

Christmas is a good time to remind ourselves that before becoming responsible adults with 4,784 unread emails, we were little kids believing in magic.

There is a lot of distrust in brands and marketing. Things are not well in France, we are in a socially difficult context. We need something to believe in, especially at the moment, and I hope marketers will know how to pick up on that.

What other campaigns do you think have struck a chord this year and why?

BT: John Lewis’ Man On The Moon. With John Lewis we’ve been getting used to such outstanding work that some people might have found this one a little less impressive, but it’s still very, very good. Every year they give us a real Christmas tale and every year we wait, like impatient children. They’ve really managed to build an event around it, based on generosity and the pleasure of giving, which is always better than receiving. It’s a real insight and to realise that you just need to look at kids when they’re crafting little presents for their families. It’s a rare time of the year when consumption gets emotional.

Do you see France and other countries following suit with the UK and trying to make Christmas a bigger local marketing event? 

BT: Yes, I think that advertisers in France and other countries are looking to make a bigger event out of Christmas. People, especially here, have a strong need to get together and spend more time with their families and friends. The recent tragic events in France have made our need for human contact even more acute.

Do you think Christmas campaigns have to be universal to succeed?

SX: Yes, for sure, and often they are. The insights are so universal (the family, we love each other, terrible presents, grumpy teenagers, the pretentious cousin nagging about politics…). Then the execution is different from each country in the sense that it’s really linked to local traditions.

The French special of shots - issue 161 - is out now.