Sources: Toys”R”Us, Macy’s, Kohl’s, Amazon.com
Which spot gets your vote as the best U.S. Christmas commercial of 2016?
After six weeks of head-to-head competition, we’re ready to pick a winner for this year’s RetailWire Christmas Commercial Challenge. This year’s weekly winners were determined by Instant Poll results along with an analysis of discussion commentary from our BrainTrust panel of industry experts as well with views expressed from our community membership at large.
Weeks one through five produced clear winners. In week six, however, while Toys “R” Us’ “Exactly What You Wish For” spot won in the poll, Dick’s Sporting Goods’ “Sounds of the Season” commercial was the consensus choice in the discussion. To that end, we’re calling week six a tie and leaving it up to you to determine the ultimate winner of the season in the Instant Poll accompanying this article.
Make your vote count!
Week 1 – Kmart’s “Disguise” – YouTube
Week 2 – Kohl’s “The Doll” – YouTube
Week 3 – Amazon.com’s “Priest and Imam Meet For Tea” – YouTube
Week 4 – Meijer’s “Do You See What I See?” – YouTube
Week 5 – Macy’s “The Santa Project” – YouTube
Week 6 (Tie) – Dick’s Sporting Goods’ “Sounds of the Season” – YouTube
Week 6 (Tie) – Toys “R” Us “Exactly What You Wish For” – YouTube
Discussion Questions
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: What do you think were the best commercials of the 2016 Christmas selling season in the U.S.? What spot from the weekly winners in this year’s RetailWire Christmas Commercial Challenge gets your vote as the best of the bunch and why?
Poll
BrainTrust
Max Goldberg
President, Max Goldberg & Associates
Ron Margulis
Managing Director, RAM Communications
My vote goes to Amazon Prime. It captures the spirit of the holidays while reinforcing its brand message of ease of ordering exactly what you want.
I would have voted for the Dick’s ad, but they didn’t include my favorite sport — fencing. I know they don’t sell fencing equipment, believe me, but still …
I had to go with Amazon because of its attempt to diffuse the political, social and cultural climate of 2016.
My vote goes to Amazon Prime for their spot promoting peace, friendship and brotherhood.
Amazon Prime is the winner. Its message is one that resonates for the holidays and all year long.
This is a good crop overall. On balance, I favor Meijer’s “Do You See What I See?” commercial for it’s creative concept. It achieves something magical and rare by revealing the holiday myth through children’s eyes. I found it warm without being excessively sentimental.
“Do You See … ” edges out Dick’s “Sounds of the Season” which is exceptionally clever and arresting, but relatively lacking in sentiment. Amazon’s “… Meet for Tea” spot is my #3 pick. Its message is commendable but, for me, its method is a little heavy-handed.
Does it matter? Did ANYONE actually see these ads? Seriously — I saw NONE of them. If I had time to watch TV, it was Netflix or Amazon Video (NO ADS). I am not in the minority here. And I’m not going to vote because it doesn’t matter if no one saw them. Wake up people.
Incredibly enough, K-Mart. It was topical, amusing, connected with the brand, and got right to the point … now if only the stores could be run the same way.
The Meijer ad was a close runner up, but too long and too little brand tie-in.
The other ads were okay, ‘cept maybe the Macy’s spot, which took a long time to … well, I’m not sure exactly what it was trying to do.
“The Doll” gets my vote for its friendly, sweet demeanor, and getting the well-meaning woman and animals involved in preventing a Christmas catastrophe.
“Sounds of the Season” gets my vote for brilliant sound and editing, all while carrying the tune of the holiday.
Toys “R” Us gets my vote for sentimental message, although I think it’s too short to develop the theme adequately.