Here's a refreshingly honest Christmas ad from from Australian, in which supermarket chain Aldi acknowledges that we aren't all swimming in hugs and beautifully wrapped presents.
The stress of the holidays takes center stage in this minute-long spot by BMF, in which revelers scramble to decorate, shop, cook and otherwise get in the spirit of the season while battling time constraints and equally desperate hordes.
It's no great insight that the run-up to Dec. 25 is filled with grueling social chores, but the commercial scores extra points for packing in a range of probable headaches—like the awkward office holiday party, or the overeager child. (British grocer Waitrose, by contrast, offered a far more relaxed take on the culinary traditions of Christmas this season, which, while charming, is perhaps less credible.)
Mostly it's a nice alternative to the more treacly—or even pleasantly heartfelt—fare that gets thrown at us all season long.
With everyone tied into the same holiday tropes, Aldi inevitably runs up against other marketers' jokes—the woman who got the iron as a gift could take some cues from Jeff Golblum, for example, but at least her face isn't suffering from the after-effects of feigned gratitude.
At the end, the writers surrender to good feelings: A hostess breathes a sigh of relief while lugging a turkey to the family table, closing the ad on a warm note. It's an understandable concession, even if somebody's still going to have to do all those dishes. And it's really the only way this spot could end—very reminiscent of this Morrisons ad from 2012, which is classic of this particularly storytelling.
But at least nobody's getting shanghaied by an overbearingly upbeat stuffed fox.