the fourteenth post of christmas

Just when I was sitting at home thinking about how lacklustre this year’s Christmas ads are (this didn’t really happen by the way) this little number popped up on my twitter feed.  It’s been really horrible in Bristol recently but this ad for the NSPCC by Inferno really turned my frown all the way around.  Here it is for your perusal:

I’ll happily admit that I’m a complete sucker for this sort of thing but I absolutely love this.  It’s full to the brim of the seasonal feel good factor and this won’t  fail to raise a smile on anyone’s face.  From the idea to the execution this is flawless communication.  The rosette gift tags on the notes is a particularly inspired move and it’s this sort of attention to detail that I love.  I haven’t had the opportunity to chat to anyone about it yet but I can imagine this one doing the social media rounds.  It’s for a really great cause so fingers crossed it makes it big.

Twitter person @sosocialwom has commented on the similarity between Guerilla Goodwill and the T-Mobile Traffic wardens and I’m not sure this is a wholly reasonable comparison.  To me the only similarity I can see is a character representing a company giving out money to unsuspecting ‘customers’.  It’s hardly new ground, but it’s not something I particularly associate with T Mobile either.  I think Guerilla Goodwill is miles ahead for several reasons;  The biggest being that Inferno’s effort is altogether a) more pleasant and b) more creative.

Rather than resting on tired old stereotypes, even if they’re later subverted, this NSPCC campaign provides us with new and fresh images, ideas and people.  It’s incredible to see everyone’s reaction as they can’t quite believe what has happened and seeing them smile makes me smile straight back.  The variety we are presented with makes the ad all the more watchable.  I want to see this video through to the end where I’m treated to a beautiful reveal.  The T-Mobile piece on the other hand massively turns me off as  I don’t want to watch videos of people being pissed off.  What if I get sick of the video, which I very nearly did,  and I never even get to see the reveal?  Luckily, this isn’t a problem I can see Guerilla Goodwill facing.

So, less about T Mobile and more about Guerilla Goodwill.  It’s great so make sure to watch it, love it and share it!