Christmas commercials are like mince pies or roast parsnips. At this time of year, whether we like it or not, we are forced to consume an unreasonable quantity of them. Some are brussel-sprout-offensive. Others are pig-in-blanket-delicious. Here we offer you a festive tasting platter from this year’s offerings from Europe and, to infuse a little flavor, consider how they might be received by a local Chinese audience. Tuck in.
圣诞广告就有如圣诞甜果派和香烤欧洲防风草一般，每年一到这个时候，不论喜欢与否，我们都会被迫吃一点，其实这是非常不合理的。有一些吃起来就像球芽甘蓝一样难以下咽，有一些则像热狗一样美味可口。今天我们提供给了一大盘本年度节日口味的欧洲广告供大家品尝，同时，为了增加一点味道，我们还想看看中国观众对此作何反响。尽情品尝吧。
1. John Lewis | John Lewis百货公司
Wondering what to buy the kids this Christmas? Why not consider an unbelievably powerful telescope? Following up their multi-award winning Monty the Penguin campaign last year, John Lewis’ 2015 spot sees an inquisitive girl scouring the night sky through her telescope before zooming in on a lonely old man on the Moon. ‘Is it the girl’s dead granddad?’ our intern wondered, which would beg the question why he was on the moon and not in heaven or, indeed, hell. Perhaps John Lewis is suggesting the Moon is Purgatory. Even though he is, in fact, not dead, the ad does seem to confuse some. Given the Chinese aversion to mentions of death, the ad would be on dangerous ground here. Besides, the old man could hang out with Chang’e, the immortal Chinese goddess of the Moon to whom people offer cakes on Mid-Autumn day. That would be far preferable to peering through the windows of random Earth kids.
你还在想圣诞节要给孩子们买什么礼物吗？不妨买一个强大得难以置信的望远镜吧？John Lewis去年的广告《企鹅蒙蒂》摘得了多个奖项，继此之后，2015年的广告演绎了一个充满好奇的小女孩，透过望远镜窥探着夜空，镜头渐渐拉近，月亮上出现了一个孤独的老人。我们的实习生想‘这个老人是不是小女孩过世的爷爷呢？’我们不禁又想问，为什么老人会出现在月亮上，而不是天堂或地狱呢。或许John Lewis想暗示我们，月亮是一个炼狱。即便事实上老人并没有过世，广告貌似还是会让一些人产生困惑。中国人一般避免谈到死亡，从这个角度讲，这则广告处在了危险边缘。此外，老人也可能和嫦娥一起闲逛，中国人奉嫦娥为月神，长生不老，中秋还会吃月饼。任何一个站在地球上眺望窗外的小孩子都会更倾向于这种说法。
2. Edeka | 德国超市Edeka
German supermarket Edeka’s disturbingly non-ironic campaign riffs on a similar concept of remembering lonely old people. A lonesome but cunning old chap who sends word to his negligent grown-up kids that he’s died, thus luring them to his ‘funeral’, only to ‘Surprise!’ them when they arrive, by not being dead at all. A millisecond of shock is followed by smiles all round and a slap up feed with the cheeky old sod.
德国超市Edeka的广告一点没有讽刺意味，却令人不安，它同样采用了惦念孤独老人的概念。一位孤独但又有些狡猾的老头，子女已长大成人，却都在节日里忽视了他，所以他就告知子女自己离开了人世，借此引诱子女来参加他的‘葬礼’，但当子女到家时，却被他‘吓了一跳！’他还活着。片刻震惊后，所有人脸上都露出了笑容，之后是一桌美味佳肴，这是耍了些小滑头的老人所准备的。
Conversely, the majority of Chinese New Year commercials tend to feature people struggling through great trials and tribulations to make it to their hometown. China traditionally places a greater focus on the family. It’s normal to live with parents until marriage, and have them live with you after that. Additionally, there is an enduring sense of community among the retired and elderly who spend their days gossiping, dancing and playing majiang. However, generational divides in China’s rapidly evolving society are widening. There are increasing cases of people not returning to see parents after having departed to make a living in the big cities. These themes may yet become more relevant for a Chinese audience.
相反，绝大多数的中国新年广告都倾向于表现人们经历了重重困难才得以回到家乡。中国的传统非常注重家庭。子女直到结婚前一般都会和父母住在一起，婚后也会让父母和自己住。另外，中国人也有一种持久的扎堆观念，退休后的老人整天在一起家长里短、跳跳舞、打打麻将。然而，中国不同年代的人之间的分歧随着社会的迅速发展逐渐拉大。越来越多的人在离开家乡来到大城市谋生之后，逢年过节不再回家看父母。这一类的主题可能更会让中国观众产生共鸣。
3. Canal+ | Canal+电视台
The Canal+ spot has taken a more humorous approach, showing a giant, rampaging pig trashing a family home and inflicting misery on its hapless owners. We then cut to a year earlier where said pig is being gifted as a baby, along with the tagline ‘give a gift you won’t regret this year’. China is no stranger to bizarre pets, and pets treated bizarrely. It’s not unusual to see people walking tortoises on leads, or tiny dogs dressed more stylishly than their owners. Nor is China unaccustomed to enormous pigs as pets, although evidence suggests they enjoy a more harmonious relationship. Last year a farmer made headlines riding around Chongqing on his oversized pet pig, nicknamed ‘Hogzilla’.
Canal+电视台的广告采用了更为幽默的方式，一只横冲直撞的巨型野猪在一个人的家里到处乱窜，倒霉的主人痛苦不堪。之后镜头回到了一年前，当时它还是小野猪，被当做圣诞礼物，广告字幕是‘今年请送一份你不会后悔的礼物’。中国不乏很怪诞的宠物，宠物的表现也很怪诞。有时候你会看到一条链子上牵着乌龟走在路上，有时候也有小狗打扮得比主人更潮，这些都不足为奇。养猪当宠物对中国人来说也并非什么奇怪的事，有证据表明人和猪相处更为和谐。去年，就有一个重庆的农民骑着一头巨型猪遛街，登上了新闻头条，这种猪昵称‘猪斯拉’。
‘Hogzilla’ ‘猪斯拉’
4. Mulberry | Mulberry广告
Mulberry have followed up their ‘Win Christmas’ spot of last year with an amusing take on the nativity scene, with a handbag taking the place of the baby Jesus. How would this year’s ad resonate in China, the world’s fastest growing Christian country? Well, it’s doubtful the censors would allow an ad with a strong religious theme to be broadcast. Secondly, Christianity in China is a relatively new arrival and its popularity is viewed with increasing suspicion by the government. The delicacy of the situation doesn’t leave much room for parody.
继去年“Win Christmas”广告之后，今年Mulberry又推出了一部搞笑广告，模仿耶稣诞生的场景，以一只手袋代替了婴儿耶稣。今年的这则广告在中国 – 这个全球增长最快的圣诞市场，将反响如何呢？嗯，这样一个宗教主题浓厚的广告能否通过中国的审查，还难以预料。另外，基督教在中国相对还是一个新事物，政府对基督教的普及越来越持怀疑态度。这种情况极其微妙，所以中国广告没有太多模仿这则广告的的余地。
There is also the question of whether any agency would be bold enough to pitch a tongue-in-cheek campaign for a high-end luxury brand like Mulberry in the first place. Taking such a tone would be dangerous for a market relatively unfamiliar with the brand and for which tastes in advertising, particularly humour, are unpredictable.
但是，首要的问题是到底会不会有哪个机构足够大胆，愿意推广诸如Mulberry这种个高端奢侈品的半开玩笑式的广告呢。中国人对Mulberry品牌相对并不熟悉，广告采用这样的基调未免有些危险。中国人对广告的品位，尤其是对幽默感的解读，还令人难以预测。
5. BBC One | BBC One电视台
BBC One’s fully animated 3D Christmas ad sees a jolly little sprout looking for someone with whom to spend Christmas, only to be rejected at every turn because ‘nobody like a sprout’. Despite surveying a number of Chinese friends and colleagues, we couldn’t find a similarly essential but widely disliked food in the Chinese New Year dinner. Oddly, Chinese families seem to choose to serve food that they actually like for their festive occasions.
BBC One的全3D圣诞广告演绎了一只小巧可爱的菜芽，想要找人和他一起过圣诞，但却屡屡遭到拒绝，因为‘没有人喜欢菜芽。我们询问了几个中国朋友和同事，但是并没有找到对等的中国人春节晚餐中有哪种必不可少但是大家都不怎么喜欢的食物。奇怪的是，中国家庭似乎在节日时都会选择大家都喜欢的食物。
It would be great to see more ambitious animation in advertising in China. Coca Cola are having a go, bringing back their popular characters A Fu and A Jiao to further establish them as a Chinese New year tradition.
如果能看到中国广告采用更精彩的动画就太棒了。可口可乐进行了尝试，想要把他们备受欢迎的卡通形象“阿福”和“阿娇”打造成了春节的传统特色。
6. Anuncio Lotería de Navidad 2015 | 2015 西班牙圣诞节彩票官方广告
Another strong animation for this Spanish Lottery Christmas spot, in which a lonely security guard with a penchant for entertaining colleagues with amusingly positioned mannequins, wins the lottery. The security guard is a very visible figure in China, with one manning practically every building across the country. Sometimes they’re nice, sometimes grumpy, usually smoking. Mostly after dark they can be seen slumped comatose in their booth. We’re yet to see any playing with mannequins or setting up elaborate set-pieces for colleagues. Maybe between naps there is some seriously creative pranking going on.
西班牙圣诞节彩票广告也运用了强大的动画，讲述的是一个孤独的保安大叔，他的嗜好就是逗同事们开心，他把人体模特排成一排，十分搞笑，最终他赢得了彩票大奖。保安形象在中国随处可见，全国各地的每一栋大楼里面都有一个人站岗。有的保安人很好，有的脾气很暴躁，而且往往都喜欢抽烟。在大多数晚上，他们否会在保安室里面低头昏睡。但是我们还没到看有哪个保安摆着人体模特，或者设置了什么复杂的场景，来逗同事们笑。或许他们不打盹儿的时候，也会开一些玩笑，而且往往还都挺有创意的。
7. PornHub | PornHub网站
For their cheeky Christmas offering, PornHub also employs the ubiquitous sad old man, though this chap is more horny than lonely. Given that online porn sites are illegal in China, it’s unlikely that the ad would make it past the censors, which is a shame, because it’s funny.
PornHub为了推广自己的圣诞销售，也采用了随处可见的悲伤地老人的形象，但是这则广告里面的老人其实并没有那么孤独，相反有些好色。色情网站在中国是非法的，所以这则广告极有可能通不过审核，这样说来还有些遗憾，毕竟这是一个比较搞笑的广告。
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