2019 holiday ads, no TV required

In the hallowed Years Gone By, if you encountered an ad, you probably watched it on TV. Or heard it on the radio. Or maybe encountered it in the newspaper. But here in the enlightened year 2019, you’re more likely to find an ad in a digital form than on your TV. Some places you might encounter digital ads include on your phone, in emails, on Spotify, on YouTube, even in (on?) a gas pump.

In fact, four of the most talked-about 2019 holiday ads (including the brilliant Hafod Hardware ad and the awkward-at-best Peloton bike ad) I did not discover on TV, or any of its 2019 surrogates. One was in an email newsletter. One was in my Twitter feed. Another was in a news article on a phone app. And a fourth I saw as a pre-roll ad on YouTube (and proceeded to watch the whole thing).

The “good news” bottom line? Anyone with a good idea can make a strong ad that gets some attention. You don’t need a multi-million dollar budget for national TV — you might only need a hardware store in Wales, a cute two-year-old kid and $130 to record a cover of Alphaville’s “Forever Young.”  Well, that and an understanding of how to use digital marketing platforms to your advantage.

The “bad news” bottom line? If you’re hoping your ad will play for a singular audience sitting in front of a network TV show, you’ll want to get the Ghost of Christmas Past to help bring you back to, say, 1984.

(And, for your holiday viewing pleasure, here are the above-referenced 2019 holiday ads. Merry Christmas!)

Hafod Hardware 

Apple

John Lewis

Peloton