Merry Christmas Ads

Here are just some of the holiday ad's I've really been enjoying this holiday season.

WalMart Thanks Our Troops
I have to admit that when I first saw this ad it made me a little emotional. My heart always breaks a little for all the kids that are living with a parent stationed overseas and that goes double for the holidays. However, over the past few years I have seen some ads that seem to exploit this fact by creating ads based around this idea that are fairly insensitive. I think The Martin Agency did a great job with this ad. It's tastefully done and pulls on my heart strings every time I see it.



Target: Made by Elves
In all honesty, this commercial just makes me laugh. That's all there is to it. A big improvement from their horrible Black Friday commercials.



Verizon: Misfit Toys
I have been really enjoying Verizon's new commercials that go up against AT&T (more on that another time). My friend Jessica passed along this one to me after I Twittered about another Verizon ad. It's an amusing commercial that takes a great spin on those creepy animated children's holiday "classic" specials.



Which holiday ads do you like this year?

Brine Tribe

Time to get interactive. Actually, Brine has been interactive for a while now, but I finally found the time to sit down and join the tribe.

I first saw the Join the Tribe/Mask commercial during last season's NCAA Women's lacrosse finals. I love advertising, social media, and all things involved in my career choice, but lacrosse is my first true love. I loved the idea behind the commercial - using lacrosse equipment to create a tribal mask.



For those that do not know much about lacrosse, it is America’s oldest sport and was played by Native Americans for a number of reasons. It is not America’s fastest growing sport and is known as the fastest sport on two feet. I also like to refer to it as the best sport ever. (For more info on the history of lacrosse, visit the US Lacrosse website!)

But I digress. Brine invites its audience to “Join the Tribe” by logging onto its site to create a personalized tribal mask made of lacrosse equipment. Creators can choose to make a mask out of a pre-made mask, form a mask around a stencil, or start with a blank canvas. Users click and drag Brine equipment to form their mask and then can save them to the Brine gallery. There is also a download option that allows the new tribe members to download their mask in various sizes that include an iPhone and Icon-sized option. Brine also features tribe member’s masks in its print ads.



What I really like about this interactive campaign, besides the creative, is the ability to build a tighter community of lacrosse players. Plus, it’s fun! Check out my tribal mask below. It’s called “Raider” after my high school team where I began my lacrosse experience.