Something’s different in the air this year. Let’s just say that Santa will avoid entering through the chimney, he’ll leave his gifts at the front door. It’s true, despite the endless waves of lockdowns and restrictions on social gatherings, we all need a little joy and Christmas commercials are here to forge some enthusiasm as usual. However, they also seem a little different.
今年的圣诞节与往年不同，空气里弥漫着紧张的气氛。或许就连圣诞老人，今年也会放弃爬烟囱，改为将礼物留在门口。尽管有一波又一波的封锁和对社交聚会的限制，在我们都需要一点欢乐的时候，圣诞广告又如约而至，像往年一样帮忙炒热节日气氛。而今年的特殊情况，也使得今年的广告有些与众不同。
More than social distancing and shrunk budgets, the challenge this year was to adapt to the mood of an unprecedented pandemic holiday. Some tried to forge a sentiment of warmth, while others satirized the adversities for a good laugh. As usual, there were also the ones jumping through a lot of hoops to tackle the magic of the season.
除了社交疏离和缩减预算，今年的挑战是如何面对这场前所未有的疫情，特别是疫情带来的情绪。一些广告试图营造一种温暖的气氛，而另一些则利用讽刺来苦中作乐。像往常一样，今年也有一些广告片为了创造奇迹，克服重重困难，献上了圣诞奇迹般的佳作。
And while there are a few more animated films this year, it’s still a surprise to see that amongst all the shooting restrictions around the world, most brands were still able to make some great live-action films. For us in the adverting industry in China, with no shooting restrictions since the spring, it’s easy to take for granted that these brands and markets must have had to go to great length and efforts to ensure this festive season was not to be missed… and maybe, that in itself, is proof that the Christmas spirit is still alive and well this year!
虽然今年的动画作品比往年要多一些，但令人惊讶的是，面对全球各种拍摄限制与困难，大多数品牌仍然能够制作出不少优秀的真人电影。而对于我们中国广告行业来说，从春天开始就没有太多拍摄限制了，人们很容易想当然地认为，品牌和市场肯定会不遗余力地确保不错过这个圣诞节，也许，这本身就证明了圣诞节味道仍在，今年也会是气氛满满的圣诞节！
Covid-toned Spots
疫情影响下的广告片
AMAZON — The Show Must Go On
亚马逊——《演出必须继续》
Although many spots this year featured COVID-19 in a way or another, some made it their centerpiece. Amazon presented the awe-inspiring story of a ballerina who’s been unceasingly practicing for what seems to be the performance of her life. Her show, however, is canceled because of lockdown restrictions. Still, her little sister and an enamored neighbor prompt her to perform outdoors for the community. With a stunning arrangement of Queen’s The Show Must Go On, the film features the real-life seventeen-year-old French ballerina Taïs Vinolo who also kept training throughout lockdown.
尽管今年的许多广告都或多或少以不同的方式提及了新冠，但也有一些将疫情作为主题。亚马逊的广告讲述了一个鼓舞人心的芭蕾舞者的故事，女主人公夜以继日地练习，即将到来的表演似乎是她人生的转折点。然而，这场表演却受疫情影响，被取消了。尽管如此，她的妹妹和有爱的邻居还是鼓励她为社区进行户外表演。改编皇后乐队的经典曲目《表演必须继续》作为配乐，这部影片的女主角由现实生活中的芭蕾舞者，17岁的法国少女Taïs Vinolo扮演，而她本人在疫情封锁期间也仍然日日坚持训练。
A heart-felt live-action film that really embraces the true essence of the human spirit, let alone the Christmas spirit, during the pandemic.
这是一部感人的真人电影，不仅有圣诞的气氛，还展示了人类在疫情期间真实美好的品质。
XFINITY – The Greatest Gift
XFINITY网络——《最棒的礼物》
You may not recognize him straight away, but Steve Carell is Santa, aka “the boss,” in Xfinity’s Christmas commercial this year. Dressed only from the waist up, he manages his team of socially distancing elves on a project to reinvent Christmas gifts. They have the idea of boxing the holiday spirit itself, but it takes some effort to convince the skeptical Santa. More than reinventing gifts, he had to reinvent his business as a whole and, along with his team, find a way to pull it off—such as many entrepreneurs and businesses this year.
你可能一眼没认出来，但在Xfinity网络今年的圣诞广告中，Steve Carell饰演圣诞老人，也就是片中的“老板”。今年的圣诞老板上半身毛衣，下半身短裤，远程指导着他的“保持社交距离的精灵”团队，而今年的挑战是改造圣诞礼物。精灵项目团队最终的创意是将“圣诞的味道”打包在礼盒里，但要打消老板圣诞老人的疑虑，他们还是花了不少功夫。除了给礼物改头换面，圣诞老人团队今年的工作方式也是不得不做出改变，找到适应环境的方法，就像今年许多其他的企业家和他们的团队一样。
TESCO – No Naughty List
乐购——《今年没有淘气名单》
There is no naughty list in a world of relatable bad homemade haircuts, toilet paper buying sprees, and never ending handwashing. That’s Tesco’s premise for this year’s series of Christmas commercials, revolving around confessions of bad behavior and the absolution of anyone’s and everyone’s COVID-19 sins. It’s been reported that UK parents are demanding the brand to drop the advert. Who’s to blame?
在今年，自己剪毁了的发型、囤一大堆厕纸的疯狂和洗不完的手，都是再正常不过的情况了，所以没有什么淘气名单。这就是乐购今年系列广告大片中首映的第一部短片，聚焦了人们对不良行为的忏悔和新冠疫情下大家的“罪过”。据报道，英国家长要求该品牌撤下该广告。这能怪谁呢？
Touching Animations
感人的动画
WAITROSE & JOHN LEWIS – Give A Little Love
Waitrose超市和John Lewis百货——《给予一点爱》
John Lewis campaigns have had some great previous animation holiday ads, so while it was no surprise that would use animation again this year, it unfortunately feels more forced this time around. Eight different animation styles made by eight houses, from clay motion to illustration, puppetry, and 3D, to build a narrative conveying the importance of giving a little love. A delightful original song by rising star Celeste sets the pace for a series of small good deeds to unfurl, all represented by heart-shaped objects made of the various elements of the story all masterfully blended.
John Lewis百货往年的圣诞动画广告片中有不少佳作，因此，虽然今年再次使用动画在意料之中，但在疫情的背景下，今年采用动画的确显得有点迫于无奈。这支短片由8个工作室，采用8种不同的动画风格制作完成，从粘土动画到插图、木偶和3D动画，多风格地构建了这个暖心的故事，强调了给予一点爱的重要性。炙手可热的新星歌手Celeste创作的一首轻快愉悦的歌曲，将一系列小善举串起，而每个小善举都有一个心型的物件，在不同的动画风格中由不同的元素构成，自然又别致地，完美地与故事情节融为一体。
DISNEY – From Our Family To Yours
迪士尼 – 《从我家到你家》
Disney’s story starts in 1940 in a tropical village with Lola, a little girl receiving a Mickey Mouse from her dad. It then jumps 65 years into a snowy European suburb where she’s now a grandmother. Every Christmas, she decorates a star-shaped lamp with her granddaughter. But the younger one becomes detached from the activity year after year until she realizes how meaningful it is to Lola for giving life to memories of her faraway life. With an indisputable Disney quality, it’s a heartwarming film about intergenerational bonds and family tradition. Is someone chopping onions?
迪士尼的故事始于1940年的一个热带村庄，小女孩Lola从爸爸那里得到了一个米老鼠玩偶。65年后，在一个白雪皑皑的欧洲市郊，Lola已经当了祖母。每年圣诞节，她都会和小孙女一起装饰一盏家乡的星形灯。但随着孙女渐渐长大，她开始对这个传统渐渐失去兴趣，直到她意识到这件事对Lola的意义，因为对Lola来说这是让遥远的回忆再次鲜活起来的办法。毫无疑问，这是一部关于代际纽带和家庭传统的温馨电影，十分有迪士尼的风格。啊呀，是不是有人在切洋葱？
TOYOTA – The Journey
丰田 – 《旅行》
Toyota’s spot also has a unique visual approach. A world created entirely on CGI (admittedly to overcome COVID-19 challenges in production) features a father and son duo inside an SUV chasing a letter to Santa blown by the wind. It’s a brief journey that takes them to the outskirts of town, leading to the realization that the journey was the purpose all along: an adventure between father and son. It’s an inspiring commercial, also featuring a captivating original song.
丰田的圣诞广告业采用了独特的视觉手法。在一个完全靠CGI技术创造的世界中(诚然，这是为了克服带来的制片挑战)，一对父子坐在一辆SUV里，追逐着被风吹走的给圣诞老人的信。这场短暂的追逐与冒险在市郊结束，这时爸爸才意识到此行的真正目的：一次父子同行的旅行。这是一部鼓舞人心的广告片，片中的原创歌曲也十分迷人动听。
It’s not very common to see a car commercial use animation. Part of the importance of selling a car is seeing the beauty and performance of the product for real. So while this genre choice was due to the shooting restrictions and unpredictability of shooting a live action car commercial during the pandemic, the end result is so beautiful and effective, we wouldn’t be surprised if the brand uses more cgi in their campaigns in the future.
动画汽车广告还是比较少见的。因为销售汽车的重点之一就是要亲眼看到产品的美丽外观和性能。虽然这次风格的选择很大程度上是由于疫情期间真人摄制的限制和不确定性，但结果却是优美又有效，如果该品牌在未来的宣传活动中更多地使用CGI技术，我们也不会感到意外。
Outlandish Worlds
奇葩的脑洞
MATCH – Match Made In Hell
Match约会 – 炼狱眷侣
Think about it. Only two spirits can love this year more than any other, Satan and “Two-Zero-Two-Zero,” the year itself (or herself). Match’s commercial explains what happened: the two of them matched on the dating app eleven months and twenty-something days ago, and it was love at first sight. They were the only ones enjoying the empty gyms and cinemas and stealing all the toilet papers all year round. Actor Ryan Reynolds, who’s on Match’s board, wrote and directed this hilarious spot, and Taylor Swift re-recorded her hit Love Story especially for it.
如果我们仔细思考一下，或许只有两个家伙会对今年爱得死去活来，撒旦和“二零二零”年本年。Match约会的广告给大家解释了事情的来龙去脉：这两位是在他们的约会软件上相遇，就是11个多月前的那一天，他们一眼看中了彼此。是他们，在空无一人的健身房快乐，是他们，在鸦雀无声的电影院开心，是他们，偷走了全年的厕纸。演员Ryan Reynolds是Match约会的董事会成员，他自编自导了这个搞笑的短片，而Taylor Swift还专门为此重新录制了她的热门单曲《Love Story》。
SODASTREAM & SNOOP DOGG – The Small Things
SodaStream 与 Snoop Dogg – 《从小事做起》
Who would have guessed that Snoop Dogg’s formula for happiness was so altruistic? All about the small things, he saves turtles from countless plastic bottles with a small act—drinking from SodaStream’s sparkling water maker. This year, he also opted for an intimate gathering with his family, all remarkably alike. “Small things can save the world” is their motto.
谁能想到Snoop Dogg幸福的秘诀竟是如此无私呢? 都是从小事做起，通过使用SodaStream苏打水机饮水，他的一个小小善举就将海龟从成百上千的塑料瓶中拯救了出来。今年他还提议小范围过节，只和自己的家人团圆，有趣的是他全家人都长得一模一样。“小善举能拯救世界” 就是他们的座右铭。
LEGO – Rebuild the World
乐高 –《重建世界》
LEGO invites us to experience the magic that happens inside a child’s mind while playing with the little colorful building blocks. The film is part of a bigger and long-lasting campaign of the same name, Rebuild the World, that gained another layer of meaning with the pandemic. This time, children from all over the world reimagine and rebuild the holidays. Dragons, robots, astronauts, and princess-knights come alive in a celebration of youthful creativity to the sound of Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World recorded with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.
乐高带我们感受了孩子们拼积木的快乐，一窥他们脑中丰富精彩的想象世界。这部影片是一个规模更大、持续时间更长的宣传活动的一部分，“重建世界”，这一主题也因新冠疫情获得了另一层含义。这一次，来自世界各地的孩子们要重新构思和重建节日。伴随着布拉格爱乐乐团演唱的路易斯·阿姆斯特朗的经典歌曲《What a Wonderful World》，龙、机器人、宇航员和公主骑士们活跃起来，展现了孩子们非凡的创造力。
While this spot seems less of Christmas campaign, it does ultimately feel more like a campaign trying to compete against the massive video game industry and trying to showcase a “builders” imagination is equally as impressive as any video game out there. But even more so because it’s a tangible product that allows you create a wonderful world yourself. While the chaotic and action packed film feels slightly out of place for LEGO, the over all message is poignant.
虽然这个广告看起来不那么“圣诞”，它其实更像是一场与庞大的电子游戏行业竞争的尝试，并试图告诉大家“建筑家”的想象力并不会输给电子游戏。更重要的是，它是一个有形的产品，可以让你自己创造一个美好的世界。虽然片中的混乱和动作场景感觉有点不适合乐高，但影片带给人们的启发是深刻的。
BAM Music Library Brings Edgy, Indie Sounds to Chinese Creatives
