The Honey Baked Ham Company: Kelly Baked

When turkey won’t do, ham is the next best option for Christmas. Here we review the new ad by Honeybaked Ham for their holiday season campaign, an advert created by the advertising agency BBDO, Atlanta.
We’ll review this ad and give it scores out of 10 for memorability, effectiveness, style, humor, and execution. Have a read through our thoughts and see if you agree!

Memorability – 8 / 10

The ad has a very common a simplistic concept base. The aim here is to mention the brand repeatedly while comparing it directly to the negatives of cooking your own ham. Advertising doesn’t come more simple, but sometimes there’s nothing wrong with taking a “straight at it” approach. Great humor has been incorporated to give the ad some good edge and the main character represents the young mature adult market (30s – 40s) very well. The fact that the slogan of the ad is repeated over and over is a very direct way of ensuring the content sticks in the minds of viewers.

Effectiveness 8 / 10

A lot of people dread the task of cooking this time of year especially if they are not enthusiastic home cooks. This is exactly the market that the brand want to appeal to and this ad does a fantastic job of ensuring this profile of viewer is reminded of the benefits of convenience food. The presentation of the product is exceptional and all ham lovers are bound to find themselves at least considering buying in a ready made piece instead of taking one on DIY.

Style – 8 / 10

The main character, Kelly, delivers the humor well and is a great modest symbol for the target demographic. The gags are not cheesy and are easy for all viewers to understand. The commercial portrays a wide variety of ways in which DIY ham can go wrong, the stress and energy such a task will take without the guarantee of success. This clever concept places the product in very good light and the nuration adds to the lightness and appeal of the humor.

Heart or Humor – 9 / 10

The humor in this short commercial is of great quality and won’t fail to bring at least a smile to the faces of a wide range of adult profiles. The content is highly relatable and many won’t have any issue seeing this ad over and over again on TV. Great visuals of the burnt ham, the naughty dog and Kelly’s funny facial expressions all play a role in making the concept play well.

Execution – 8 / 10

The very fast shots taken in this swift paced clip help give the ad a bit of bounce which adds to its attractive and catchy nature. The quality of the visuals are great and the final shots of the ham go a long way in ensuring the last message left on the viewer is of the majesty of the product. With stellar visuals, good attractive comedy and a clever way to compare the Honeybaked ham to alternatives, this commercial ticks all the most crucial boxes seamlessly. The concept gives us no major thrills or spectacular events, but certainly delivers on laughs and likeability.