Commercials That Spread Holiday Cheer

It’s that time again, when we’re inundated with sappy, overdone and downright bad commercials.  Not that I’m opposed to the holiday season – quite the opposite actually.  But commercials during this time of year do tend to put me in a less-than-festive mood.

Fortunately, some advertisers have made an effort to be creative with their holiday campaigns this year.  Gap is running their first TV campaign in over 2 years, and I find it to be a refreshing change from the usual.  In the series of TV spots, brightly dressed troupes literally spread holiday “cheer” through song and dance, staying true to the Gap brand.  In my opinion, the commercials succeed in being a pleasant departure from your typical holiday ad (although a target of some mockery as well…)  They’ve even created a separate webpage, Cheer Factory, where customers can “spread the cheer” by personalizing a cheer and sending it to friends and family.

Garmin also has great holiday ads that use the Christmas classic “Carol of the Bells” and transform it into a strange story that keeps you watching.  Squirrels playing mandolin, leprechauns and a life-sized Nutcracker aren’t what you expect from a holiday commercial, so it succeeds in my mind for being unique.

Do you have any favorite holiday commercials?