Review
Memorable
Effective
Style
Heart or Humor
Execution
The ingredients formulae for Coca-Cola is a well-kept secret and supposedly has remained unchanged since its initial conception. The formula for Coke’s marketing is less of a secret. Here, we take a look at “A major thank you”, giving this commercial scores out of 10 for memorability, effectiveness, style, humor, and execution. Check out our scores and notes below to see if you agree with our thoughts on this holiday season blockbuster.
The advert was created by the advertising agency Pereira & O’Dell
The short film titled “A Magic Thank You”, is directed by Oscar-nominated Theodore Melfi (“Hidden Figures”). Melfi, a self-proclaimed Christmas fanatic, embraced the formidable task of telling a story that reminds us to be thankful and charitable.
Memorability – 8 / 10
In an economy and society that is increasingly infatuated with the sharing of information through online platforms, an ad of this kind is inevitable for almost all major consumer brands. Coke’s version of the “social share” concept is long-winded, playful and of course borderline cliche with its dependence on relating to cool, sexy and winning. No brand does “cool, sexy and winning” quite so well as the world’s greatest drink. Viewers will find it hard to forget the ad for its length, its depth of dialogue and odd spin on the concept of Santa Clause.
Effectiveness 8 / 10
Does it make us thirsty? Not as much as past Coke ads have. The idea here, however, is to cross new ground. No brand has ever dared to take such a cheeky and script lead approach to Christmas for as long as I can remember. This clip is so dialogue filled, it feels more like a section of a drama series than a TV advert. This style makes it hard to ignore, catchy from start to finish and appealing to young millennials as well as teens.
Style – 8 / 10
These guys will never release an ad that does not look beautiful. From the settings in the final frames to the costumes and props used throughout the clip, every part of this ad has been designed to look incredible and breathe fine quality production. The cast perfectly symbolizes a diverse and maturing teen / millennial market and the quirky Santa Clause (as opposed to a traditionally grand one), helps to ensure the concept is kept light and playful.
Heart or Humor – 9 / 10
Fast paced snappy humor is abundantly popular in today’s pop and youth culture. With line after line of simple gags filling the script and a volley of slapstick moments filling the midsections of the ad, there’s a lot of content for those within the target market to enjoy viewing over and over. Will it break Youtube? No, probably not, but it certainly will have people saying “yeah its funny” when asked, “have you seen this year Christmas Coke ad?”
Execution – 8 / 10
A clever concept that has been built with stellar production value, youthful script writing, and strong casting. We instantly find ourselves attached to the lead character and want him to prevail in the story presented. This usually takes an entire feature film to achieve, but Coke has managed to make it work within a 2-minute clip. The product has certainly been sold much harder in the past, but this bread of advertising is far more relevant for today’s inpatient, content devouring, sharp comedy loving youth.
Marketing detalis
The film will be running globally in-cinema and on digital and social platforms and supported by above the line elements including Facebook effects that create interactive video masks as Santa or Coca-Cola’s iconic polar bears. Coca-Cola is one of the first global brands to partner with Facebook to launch branded effects.
“Getting the chance to work on this campaign was a joy and a chance to remind myself what makes Christmas so special: sharing kindness, love, and the spirit of goodwill with everyone we come in contact with. And Coke is the perfect way to express the feeling of Christmas,” said Melfi.
Starting this month, Coca-Cola is releasing special edition Christmas packaging for Original Coca-Cola, Coc, -Cola Zero Sugar and Coca-Cola Light. Bottles and cans feature 30 messages of thanks including “Thank you for creating magic”, “Thank you for wrapping the gifts beautifully”, “Thank you for spreading Christmas cheer”, “Thank you for stuffing the stockings”, and “Thank you for singing out-of-tune carols”.
