Christmas Advertising German-style

Once upon a time in Adland, Christmas Advertising only showed red-faced, jolly old people, many of whom were called Santa. If they had white hair, it was in the form of a dubious wig, which was attached to a dodgy white beard, which was all self-consciously part of a silly costume. We were all in on the gag. And we all played along. Not much thinking required.

This year – and I’m not saying this is a bad thing – we’ve seen an altogether more realistic take on white-haired elderly folk. I say “more realistic”: in fact, many appear to live on the moon, and have telescopes rather than oxygen suits, but that is a detail. Like I say, this year, realism is in. And reminding us that it’s no fun being old and alone at Christmas is the 2015 Zeitgeist.

If you think I am referring to John Lewis, trust me, they are only mid-table when it comes to this game. Over in Germany, they do JLP on acid:

Subtle it ain’t. And I’m not sure how many Edeka groceries it will shift. But it will provoke thought. For that, I salute the agency team at Jung von Matt.

Merry Christmas all !