Hattie
Macy’s getting Rick Astley to Rickroll live at their Thanksgiving Parade in NYC took one of the biggest online gags of 2008 into the real world. ‘Rickrolling’ became an online phenomenon (getting people to click on a link thinking it was something else, but it actually lead you to a video of Rick Astley’s ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’) generating 20 million hits to the video. I thought Macy’s showed a great sense of humour to seize on this, plus they gained heaps of global PR through what was probably quite a cheap and simple thing to do.
Fern
The thing about Christmas is, it doesn’t have to be good, it just has to be exactly the same every year. Just like Turkey, a schmaltzy Victoriana aesthetic and tinsel, the Coca Cola ‘Holidays are coming’ is probably not great in itself, in fact the image of giant juggernauts of fizzy pop sallying forth from the United States to spread their obesity-inducing beverage across the world is deeply anachronistic... but it gladdens the soul and if you’re a Yule-ophile like me, it sets the heart racing. This year I haven’t even seen the TV ad (because I usually watch ITV3 and consequently only ever see ads for pension plans and incontinence solutions) but the 48 sheet had me singing all the way to school. Furthermore if I had been in Belgium like this mentalist was to witness the real thing chugging through town I may have wet my pants with excitement (and knowing a lot about Tena lady would thereby become a lot more helpful). All together now, Holidays are coming. Holidays are coming...”
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Jono
This email has done the rounds at Christmas time since 2006 and I’d be very surprised if you have never received it. The story goes that the 40% reduction was initially intended for just suppliers and their friends of Threshers. However, after the voucher was uploaded on to the website of South African wine company Stormhoek, it was reportedly downloaded 800,000 times and sent to inboxes all around the world. I remember my first reaction on receiving the secret email was not only to immediately send it on to my friends, but also use it as soon as possible, before Threshers clocked that I amongst others were not a supplier to them nor a friend of one.
The email spread and everyone bought booze.
So apart from the cheap beer I admire this campaign for three reasons. Firstly, at Christmas time there is always a 33.3% discount in all Threshers stores with or without the voucher, so creating such noise around an extra 6.7% reduction is brilliant. Secondly, I like the way they portrayed this value through fear of their own actions with comments like; “we are waiting with bated breath, this has become bigger than we expected and this is a better offer than normal and it could end up hitting our profit margins”. And finally, they have never confirmed whether it was genius viral marketing or a genuine mistake. Either way, I received another one last week.Click here to view
Jon
Its not cool or edgy but I like the simplicity, the art direction, the casting, the rendition of the song, the way it makes the viewer work to fill the gaps in the story and the cute baby with the curly hair who looks like they are going to topple over.
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Ricardo
What is all this vomiting and pissing of the pants? It should not be allowed on television at this holy time of year. It makes me want to throw the television down the stairwell with rage.
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