It's almost Christmas Day but there's still time for one more Xmas ad. Marks and Spencer's 2016 Christmas TV ad has a modern twist on the much-loved character Mrs Claus.
COMMENT
You really have to watch this ad several times to appreciate all the jokes and nice little touches. For example, did you notice that the number of the helicopter is R-DOLF and that Mrs Claus is reading Fifty Shades of Red when Mr Claus returns home? And I'm sure I noticed a nod to Bond at one or two points.
LESSON IDEAS
1. Stop the ad at 2m12s and ask students to guess what the present is.
2. You can do the same for the present at 2m49s, though we don't actually discover what it is!
3. Lots of scope for discussing students' experiences of Christmas when they were children.
4. Analyse the campaign from a marketing perspective. Who's the target audience? What's the message? (see the related M&S webpage here).
5. In what ways is this a feminist ad? Discuss.
NOTE
Thanks to Josie for suggesting this one.
ALSO SEE
• Have you met Mrs Claus (Marks and Spencer)
• M&S tells the tale of Mrs Claus as it looks to ‘resonate more’ (Marketing Week)
• M&S Christmas ad 2016: Mrs Claus helps Santa in contemporary 'Christmas with Love' campaign (The Independent)
