Sources: Cost Plus World Market; T.J.Maxx; Target; Best Buy
RetailWire Christmas Commercial Challenge: The Finals
After seven weeks of head-to-head competition, it’s time to pick the champion of the 2018 RetailWire Christmas Commercial Challenge.
Some of the spots making it to the finals have generated massive attention on YouTube. Petco’s “Saving Up” spot now has over 7.7 million views, while Cost Plus World Market’s “Santa’s Favorite Cookie” and Dick’s Sporting Goods’ “Table” have racked up more than 3.5 million each. Macy’s “Space Station” topped 1.6 million.
RetailWire readers typically produced a clear winner every week with the exception of last week when voters gave equal weight to spots from Cost Plus World Market and Meijer. Now, it’s up to you decide. May the best commercial win.
Follow one boy’s quest to find Santa’s favorite cookie – Cost Plus World Market/YouTube
3.5 million views
Nearly 14K views
7.7 million views
552K Views
One-stop shopping: now with lots more fun! – Best Buy/YouTube
The Table – Dick’s Sporting Goods/YouTube
3.6 million views
Discussion Questions
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Which retailer commercials do you think were worthy of note for the holiday season? Who would you pick to be the winner of the 2018 RetailWire Christmas Commercial Challenge?
Poll
BrainTrust
Neil Saunders
Managing Director, GlobalData
Georganne Bender
Principal, KIZER & BENDER Speaking
There are a lot of advertisements focusing on sentimentality. Among these, I particularly like Dick’s which nostalgically highlights the passage of time. Petco’s is also cute and embodies the spirit of giving.
However, I do like Target’s upbeat number, mainly because it is toe-tapping and highlights “all the ways” that people can shop, which was an important win this holiday season.
Three of these commercials stand out for me: Meijer because it’s heartwarming, Target because it reminds us of all the ways it loves us through gifting options, and the Dick’s Sporting Goods ad because it touches a nerve.
This family has a ping pong table, but we all have something in our lives that’s a family touchstone; something that if it could talk could tell all of our family stories. Dick’s wins.
I am torn between Dick’s Sporting Goods and Petco. Petco definitely tugs at your heart as we watch the young boy work for the bicycle then find a better use for it by helping his dog lead a better life. Dick’s does a good job telling the story of a gift for the generations and its multiple uses. As much as I liked Petco, my choice here is Dick’s.
Most of these commercials tap into the spirit of Xmas — love and the hearth. Many of them are well done. Multimillion views for so many of these. The Petco commercial taps best into the sacrifice and giving that is part of the Xmas season. Amazingly done in stop motion, no less.
I don’t think it was even a contest: Petco. Quality animation, and endorsing several worthy causes without being maudlin … what could be better? (Well I guess what could be better would be shorter — methinks this is really too long for repeat showing — but in this case I’ll gladly make an exception to my “quicker is better” rule.)
All deserved to be in the finals, but my vote(s) are for Petco and Dick’s for message they bring. Petco for its message of a little boy willing to sacrifice what he wanted to create a gift for something that was needed. Dick’s for its message for the story it told about the many ways the gift could be used and by different generations. Forced to pick one, I would go with Petco.