Xfinity has released its Christmas ad, with Steve Carell playing Santa Claus, and a message that we all should remember: “The greatest gifts in life are the ones that bring us together”.
The 3-minute film, directed by Craig Gillespie (director of I, Tonya), opens with Santa realizing that the usual gifts are “not going to cut it” – not after the year we’ve all had, and asking his elves, via a videoconference, to rethink their whole approach and come up with awesome gift ideas. With the clock ticking down to Christmas Eve, the elves manage to come up with unique gifts, that are not physical objects, but experiences that give the spirit of the holidays itself, such as family snowball fights, the smell of grandma’s cooking, auntie’s cheek squeezes, grandpa’s same old stories, and more.
As Santa heads to deliver the gifts, takes the time to call his team of elves again, via videoconference, and praise their efforts. “This year has been harder than ever. And yet, somehow, you all found a way to pull it off. You reminded us it’s not about the toys or the ornaments. It’s about the little things,” he tells them before he’s warned that he’s on mute. “I just wanted to say thanks. Thanks for believing,” he says.
“Togetherness. The greatest gift of all” an onscreen line reads at the end of the film.
The song playing during the second half of the video is Supertramp‘s 1974 single “Dreamer,” reinterpreted by Roger Hodgson (the band’s lead singer).
Created in partnership with ad agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners and production company MJZ, the commercial debuted, with a shorter version, on NBC’s broadcast of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Xfinity has also launched a Pinterest activation called The Greatest Gift Shoppe, which aims to help keep families connected with activities like “blanket-fort” designs, holiday movie recommendations and other tips. Xfinity’s X1 platform and Flex broadband video offering now features custom voice commands like “holiday movies,” “holiday music,” “the greatest gift,” “togetherness” and a few more.