How to... Make a Christmas Commercial

Godard said "All you need for a movie is a gun and a girl" so perhaps for a Christmas commercial, you could say that all you need is a tree and some presents. 

We always loved the fact that Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut is a Christmas movie just because there are a few Christmas trees dotted around the set and there's one gift-wrapping scene.  

It's all you need. It works. We know that it's Christmas. 

Basically there shouldn't be any complicated rules in advertising or it'll make everyone's brains stop working.

And understanding a few of the key ingredients to play with can leave more room for the creative ideas. This means you can work (or rework) some of the old Christmas-related clichés or perhaps experiment and try something new altogether.

The world is changing and so is the way we celebrate. So look to current cultural practices to suitably reflect it.

Think about whether people are still sending Christmas cards... or perhaps a Christmas selfie is more relevant these days?

Can you really show a stuffed goose on TV anymore or should you go vegan and play with little baby ducklings instead?

How do you share your wishlist with Santa Claus... I mean, is he even on Snapchat? 

We have to learn to adapt the rules of Christmas, based on the ads of the past.

But there's no secret to nailing a 30sec Christmas commerical - just leave room for mystery.

As Godard said, "When you eat a potato, you don't understand each atom of the potato."