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Clever Creative: To Grandmother’s House We Go

Over the river and through the woods, to Grandma's hotspot we go.

Clever Creative: To Grandmother’s House We Go

Posted Wednesday November 16th, 2016 by in Creativity + Art.

The holidays are all about spending time with our families, and today’s “Clever Creative” shows that, much to the many of the younger generation's dismay, it means going to Grandma’s house. This ad gives three sets of grandparents a reality check by showing them Tweets from their grandkids that discuss their feeling of dread for their impending visits to a no Wi-Fi zone.

As reluctant as much as older generations is to admit it, the way families spend time together has changed. This ad’s wake-up call provokes an actual call to Xfinity and game-changing technology, and moments later it’s off to grandmother’s house they go.

Why our GEMites liked this Clever Creative:

The beginning of this ad has a similar feel to a segment on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, much loved by GEMites, in which celebrities read mean Tweets about themselves. These unsuspecting grandparents read some of the harsh Tweets that their grandkids have said about their “off-the-grid” houses. We love that Xfinity did this because it was a great way to set up a problem-solution format for the ad. Besides that, we love how strong the connection (pun intended) between the product/service is to the message of the ad, which is that traditions are getting an update and so should you.

Finally, perhaps the most obvious reason why we love this ad, is its heartwarming story. The grandchildren came to the house expecting to be bored, but instead they grew closer to their grandparents and forged memories that they can look back on for many holidays to come.

Why our fellow creatives should like this:

In addition to the reasons we listed above, this new ad by Xfinity is great because of its relativity. Of course you’re thinking, “It’s a holiday commercial around the holidays, of course it’s relative.” However, that’s not what we’re thinking. Every company is racing to make their holiday commercials (earlier and earlier every year), but this one sets itself apart from the rest. Most holiday ads that show families gathering have an idealistic feel to them. The family is together at the table laughing, no one is fighting, no one is using their phone, and it all just looks fake and staged. This Xfinity ad is relative because it feels organic and is realistic. Of course kids don’t want to go to their grandparents, especially when it has no Wi-Fi or flat-screen TV. The commercial doesn’t try to avoid the fact that people use their phones all the time, even during the holidays. Also, the interactions feel real in the ad, and that’s because the family is an actual family. The company gave them Xfinity and let them play around with it and just caught their actions on film. We think the use of an actual family, instead of a group of actors, makes this ad more believable and authentic.

The ad’s heartwarming story of a family being brought together by technology, rather than separated, the use of a real family, and the strong connection between product/service and message makes this ad great. An organic-feeling ad such as this will have grandparents all over the U.S. calling Xfinity, and America’s youth excitedly Tweeting “To grandmother’s house we go!”

Let us know what you think, and look out for next week’s installment of Clever Creatives!

If you’re looking for some clever creative of your own, feel free to contact us.


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