Now then….
It’s always amazing when something becomes so much part of a holiday that it’d hard to believe there was ever a time when it wasn’t. Yes Santa wasn’t around the way we love him today until the 1900’s. Rudolph came years later and became just as big a part of the holiday. Even It’s a Wonderful Life came out in 1946 so there was a time when people didn’t watch it every single year. But something that truly fascinates me are the commercials.
Christmas commercials are always a cut above the norm, especially back in my day when actual thought and effort was put into them. They were clever, they were cute, and they were memorable. But usually they aired during one Christmas season, ok maybe for another year or two, and then disappeared. Oh sure we remember them, but most ads come and go and are never seen again (aside from YouTube and old VHS’s of course). That is except for a few ads which are so memorable that they seem to air year after year and never go away.
Now I could do (and have done) a list of all the memorable ads out there but here are five Christmas ads that are so simple and yet so perfect that they’re more than just memorable. They have almost become synonymous with the holiday!
Norelco Razor
Oh sure this as has been updated, from black white to color to CGI. But these simple ads, Santa riding on a Norleco Razor, are pretty popular and well know. I’ve even seen sitcoms make references to the famous ad. To be fair these kind of come and go a little, I dont think they air every single year, but we all remember them.
M&M’s
Ok I loved this ad, when it firs aired in the 90’s! This is still shown every single year, and is it really still funny after all that time? It’s a very quick ad, and the it’s a simple gag with a funny punchline. The idea that Santa would be as startled as the M&M guys to meet each other makes sense too. I still can’t believe it’s still on every year!
Campbell’s Soup
This is a popular one every year and I don’t really get why. I guess one reason could be that it’s barely a Christmas commercial, it;s just a snowman while “Let it Snow” plays, more winter than Christmas so anyone can enjoy it. It’s a cute idea with a clever payoff, and since Nostalgia Critic has already made fun of the scenario I will just leave it at that.
Hershey Kisses
Sometimes the simplest, most obvious idea is the one that strikes gold. I just saw this again today, more than 25 years after it first premiered! I mean making the kisses ring like bells seems like such a simple idea that you’d almost think the commercial was lazy, and yet this ad has been around forever.
Hess
You’d think the company going out of business wold have stopped these ads, but nope you can still buy these things online apparently. It is not officially Christmas until I have heard that song! Ok technically it is a new ad every year, but the song is the same and the visuals are nearly identical. And it isn’t Christmas without it. Maybe I’ll even buy the damn toy truck thing one year.
Ok there is one long running ad that I have to mention. Even though it isn’t Christmas. it’s Easter. But heck I am doing a Christmas article before Thanksgiving so what the heck. This ad has been playing since…forever I think. Granted it’s a bit edited since the ad first aired but it’s still the same damn ad. They didn’t even change the voiceover (unlike a certain Honey Nut Cheerios ad I wont discuss right now). Here is the Cadbury Bunny :
So did I miss a favorite Christmas ad that you’ve seen for years and is still running to this day? Comment and let me know.
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