Are you also CRAZY about that Christmas commercial tsunami?

‘Are there pills for that too?’ my daughter asked when I spontaneously burst into tears in the car while listening to Trijntje sing ‘Now that you are here’. Just to indicate what an emotional creature I am. It probably doesn’t surprise you that a sentimental fool like me spins with happiness as the days shorten and the candles can be lit. Nice navel-gazing, contemplating, and of course crying. With a man who makes television and secretly had advertising ambitions, we roll out the red carpet for the Christmas commercials. This year was no different. But my heavens, the commercial break feels like a porn movie where you fly from climax to climax. Really everyone has pulled out the recipe of lonely person and unexpected love mixed with a moody little tune.

Albert Heijn (by the way the most beloved commercial, according to viewers) was indeed creative with their hamsters, Plus surprisingly and genuinely original again, Jumbo really fun and completely ‘in character’ (I have love for Frank Lammers anyway), but when the McDonald’s commercial and the Coca-Cola reunion come on top of that, my tears just shot back into the tube. Even this year’s John Lewis commercial (normally really fodder for WhatsApp forward moments) didn’t work for me. Too much on the feeling. If on a date only rose petals, chocolate, and champagne are scattered, we are also not immediately swayed. You can also want to score too easily.

Christmas commercial facts

– Advertising agency Neurensics investigates what advertising does to the brain and has found 24 people willing to undergo an MRI scan of their brains while watching Christmas commercials

– Neighbors is a recurring theme in all supermarket commercials

– The Christmas commercial from Jumbo has been viewed more than half a million times in a week

– Often, 50,000 euros is already paid just to buy the rights to the little tune

– John Lewis has a production budget of one million pounds for the commercial itself and spends seven times as much on airing it

Image: @photography.alexa_