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Below is an example of a blog post I wrote for my marketing internship, please let me know what you think!

2020 Christmas ads

It’s that time again! We are now well into November, so we all know what that means: Christmas is coming. We think of the food, the gifts, the family time, except WE don’t. As marketing nerds, what we love about Christmas is….the adverts! Christmas adverts have become quite a staple around this time of year, they’re warm, they’re often sentimental, and they get everyone excited to make new memories.

This year, Christmas will be quite different for everyone, so it’s interesting to see the ways in which companies are going to cater to addressing the Coronavirus pandemic and what the key messages are this year. And so, in this blog post, we are going to be talking about the big players of Christmas adverts, how will their 2020 adverts compare to previous years?

John Lewis - Give A Little Love

The John Lewis Christmas advert is a well-talked-about favourite every year. Each run up to Christmas, I know my Facebook feed is filled with people sharing the advert, expressing excitement, and saying how the John Lewis advert launch means ‘it’s Christmas time’. They are known to be emotive, make the audience tear up, and for using cute subjects such as animals, or young children in their adverts. Previous John Lewis icons have included Moz the Monster, Excitable Edgar the Dragon and the Man on The Moon. 

However, teaming up with Waitrose this year, the advert has been a little different in my opinion. Give A Little Love consists of 6 different animation styles paired with sections of real life film (real actors, real settings) and the plot is a series of kind gestures that each little character does for someone near them who’s maybe not having the best day. As always there’s the signature cute caricatures, the emotive signals and the emphasis on kindness. Although there is a clear push on themes of community - a good way of relating the advert back to the pandemic. In that aspect it’s mirroring all the amazing help we gave each other as a community, John Lewis is highlighting the best part of an extremely hard time, and that is how they make audiences shed a tear. 

And so, John Lewis is a household name once again this Christmas. In some nostalgic sense, the John Lewis ad has given many a sense of security, in a time of such inconsistency and turbulence, this Christmas one thing remains - and that’s the John Lewis advert.

Disney - From Our Family To Yours

2020 has seen many things, and one of the most optimistic parts has been the first ever Christmas advert from Disney! To be honest, we found it surprising that Disney has taken so long to make a Christmas advert, considering a good classic Disney movie is an essential on the run up to Christmas time. From classics like The Nightmare Before Christmas to the modern icon, Frozen - Disney really embodies the holiday spirit!  

The advert is called From Our Family to Yours which is emphasis on traditional family values. The plot follows a woman named Lola, who enjoys Disney and Christmas crafts with her grand-daughter, however as time goes on the tradition fades and Lola is left alone. Until her grand-daughter organises her a festive surprise, filling her room with the traditional lights they both used to craft and manages to repair a very worn out Mickey Mouse toy which belonged to Lola. Lola is overjoyed and the two embrace and remember their family values and traditions. 

As a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, many people have been separated from their families especially during lockdown, and so this big emphasis on family time, family values and being together will be appreciated a little more this year. Disney has made everyone hold their loved ones a little tighter, and spend a little more time together. The advert is animated but the plot and themes can be enjoyed by all ages. Overall I would say this advert is classic Disney, and Disney will be a big contender in future for a spot at the top, for best Christmas advert.

Sainsbury’s - Gravy Song

This year, Sainsbury’s has taken a far more personal approach to their Christmas advertising. The first of a 3 part series, Gravy Song follows a conversation between father and daughter speaking about hoping to see each other for Christmas, and especially the special gravy the dad makes for their Christmas lunch. Onscreen, we see vintage style camcorder films of different family Christmas memories, really emphasising the personal touch, the family aspect, and the anticipation of reuniting after so much time apart in lockdown. This advert I think is the most relatable, it’s a depiction of a very normal, everyday family, who are planning their family Christmas the same as many people across the country. And in this way I think Sainsbury’s have been really direct with their addressing of the pandemic. There’s that association of a good meal with family and friends, still emphasising their quality food, pushing that they’re a great supermarket to buy Christmas lunch. 

Gravy Song has faced a lot of backlash lately, for portraying a black family. There have been a lot of racist comments, people feel like British people aren’t being represented in the campaign. With all the protest regarding the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter campaign re-emerging this summer, it seems as though Sainsbury’s are making an impact by ensuring that black families are also represented as British families and that British families does not equate to white families. Although on the other hand, is this a marketing strategy? Is this Sainsbury’s portraying themselves as ‘woke’? 

Overall, the advert was enjoyable and relatable. It’s clear that Sainsbury’s is targeting mainstream families who are likely to shop at their stores for their all important Christmas dinner.

Coca Cola Christmad Ad 2020

Now if we’re being honest, Coca Cola has been particularly disappointing this year. Their advert follows the story of a little girl who gives her father a letter to post to Santa Claus on his way to work. Her father forgets to post the letter and rushes to hand deliver it, after a long gruelling journey he delivers the letter to Santa, who then gives him a lift home in his red Coca Cola truck (obviously). The father opens the letter only to realise all his daughter asked for was his safe return for Christmas. 

There just doesn’t seem to be much of a link to the Coronavirus pandemic, like many other brands are doing. This advert could have worked for any other year and we feel like Coca Cola have really missed a unique opportunity for marketing here! This, with the cancellation of the truck tour feels like a bit of a let down. Although Coca Cola have said in an official statement:

“We know this will be disappointing news for lots of people, for whom the Truck Tour marks a fun, festive moment to get together over the Christmas period.

 Throughout the pandemic, our main priority has been to support our people, our partners and communities. That’s why, when lockdown began, we decided to pause all our marketing globally and focus our resources towards relief efforts around the world.”

And so we could argue that Coca Cola have embodied the true spirit of Christmas: kindness, giving and helping the community.

Below is a sample of an article I wrote during my marketing internship. Please feel free to give me any pointers and feedback

Augmented Reality - The New Kid In Town.

AR is where the marketing industry meets the gaming industry. AR, otherwise known as Augmented Reality is the new kid on the marketing block, the use of augmented reality to showcase products has been a big hit amongst consumers. AR can be used to showcase products such as make-up, allowing customers to try on any shade with the touch of a button, allow customers to test drive cars and even giving consumers virtual tours of their favourite venues. AR is a completely virtual experience, which gives consumers a chance to try products and gain a realistic insight into how they will be. 

So why have they been so successful? Let’s take a look at some of the reasons AR marketing does so well, while exploring some of the champions of the game!

AR campaigns are fun!

AR campaigns have an undeniable sense of fun! Consumers can often gain pleasure from the experience of trying out products virtually. Makeup enthusiasts would be more than excited to spend time trying the newest lipsticks, without the use of even one makeup wipe! Or picture test driving the newest Ford creation....from your sofa at home!

AR offers the notion of a free trial or a free sample, but virtually. We all love the word ‘free’ and after trying products, gaining pleasure from the experience, it’s fair to argue that consumers are more likely to buy the product! 

The BMW visualiser campaign is a great example of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzBGBx0xxAE&feature=youtu.be

The campaign shows the couple having fun designing their own custom car using the BMW visualiser AR tool, which leads them to purchase the real product. Hat’s off to BMW for this great AR campaign.

AR allows realistic visualisation for consumers!

AR is really focussed on the notion of ‘try before you buy’ - and this is exactly what it allows. Consumers often shy away from completing that purchase due because they’re unsure how the product will look on them or in their home. AR is the bridge between the consumer and the product. Using AR, you can be sure about whether or not you can pull off that jumper, or if that rug would suit your living room. 

A great example of this at work, is the #PutATreeOnIt IKEA campaign from 2017. Perfect for December, IKEA allowed their customers to try out their Christmas trees in order to visualise the perfect tree for their home. 

Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-5N0X14qFk&feature=youtu.be 

AR creates buzz about your brand!

Now AR is not always just used for trying out products, it can be used to raise awareness of your brand and your products. They can be used to grip and excite your customers, they can be used to be interactive and clever.

This 2014 AR campaign from Pepsi MAX does just that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB_qT6rAPyY&feature=youtu.be

Watch as everyday commuters have a shocking experience, while simply waiting for the bus. This campaign is so well thought out, the use of the bus-stop as an everyday scene, the AR figures giving that excitement to consumers raises so much buzz for the Pepsi brand!

Orange is the New Black (OITNB) has been tirelessly depicting the issues of modern women in America, using their ultimate weapon: a privileged white woman as the Trojan horse into this foreign, diverse penitentiary environment. 

Season 7 is no different. Because unlike the Greeks, OITNB is still clinging onto Piper Chapman’s (Taylor Schilling) lesser, mundane struggle. She’s still persistently holding onto her ‘prison wife’ Alex Vause (Laura Prepon) despite a gap of 3 years before they can be reunited, the blatant infidelity on both parts, and the crippling physical distance.

And though I admire and mostly enjoy the range of problems presented on the show, season 7 appears to be doing a bit too much for my liking. We are being introduced to many characters too quickly, random deaths and not enough development set on the foundations made by last season. 

The main issue: our focus is directed towards is the prejudiced injustices of America’s detainee immigrants. Women’s issues like asylum seeking, illegal immigrants, deportation and leaving children behind are on our screens as a few of our favorite inmates volunteer as cooks in an ICE detention centre. Even though I feel like these affairs have been vital to the plot and depicted very well, for the final season it disappoints me as there’s not enough time to develop these characters (like Shani Abboud played by Marie Lou Nahhas) as they appear and leave just in this one season. And while I agree this eerie mirroring of Trump’s America is relevant and necessary, it needed more time to do it justice.

In addition, the grim reaper has certainly waved his hand on Litchfield, as we see 2 (and a half?) deaths this season, both of which felt like reaches to make some waves of captivation on the audience. We are left feeling confused, perhaps unsettled but not particularly shocked or even that upset.

We lose original inmate, Tiffany Doggett (Taryn Manning) who has actually had many phases during her time at Litchfield. Meth-head leader, Christian extremist, friend to Suzanne and her latest title: dyslexic. Doggett learns she has dyslexia after Taystee (Danielle Brooks) tries to tutor her to help her get her GED. After plenty of hard-work and revision, she overdoses on drugs after being denied extra time in her final exam. We see her very distressed after she whole-heartedly worked on something good, and turn to the only coping mechanism she knows.

Although, one ‘half’ death which truly left me perturbed was Taystee’s suicide attempt. Finding out she’s wrongly sentenced to life and watching her character’s depletion in the first half of the season broke my heart. Taystee is the definition of Black Girl Magic, we consistently see her use her creativity and good character to rise and make the best of awful conditions. By having her completely broken and demotivated, her death would have been a massive tragedy.

Nonetheless, this season has stuck with some classic Orange features, corrupt guards and affairs with prisoners, Suzanne’s benevolent high jinks and most importantly: the chicken. No doubt the chicken has been a star throughout the show, as a motif of the unattainable, as various inmates catch a glimpse of any other life beyond the walls. The chicken is the symbol of ultimate freedom, it’s a bird and can fly, but much like the convicts, not very far.

This season it is a superlative metaphor for the inmates, as Suzanne experiments with their punishments, isolating them, taking out the bad seeds, as though their her own puppets in her chicken civilization. The chickens even had their own ‘riot’ moment, reflective of the inmates in season 5, after escaping the coop which leads to their unfortunate removal. Suzanne as their leader even says “I never prepared them for life on the outside.” A very subtle, sophisticated motif throughout the entire series.

Hi guys, so it’s been a very long time since I’ve put out any content and for that I apologise but I hope to be making more use of this blog soon. I decided to review a Bollywood film I recently watched called ‘Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga’ - so here it is! 

The recent decriminalisation of homosexuality in India had the nation in a state of joy and empowerment and it truly was something to celebrate, however I was taken by surprised when I saw the film industry jump on the bandwagon. Directed by Shelly Chopra Dhar, ‘Ek Ladki Koh Dekha Toh Aisa Laga’ is the first Bollywood film about same sex relationships. At the forefront of the film, we see Anil Kapoor and daughter Sonam Kapoor taking the lead roles as the father-daughter roles onscreen.

The film follows the narrative of a shy, young woman in Punjab: Sweety Chaudary, who seems reluctant to be married. She crosses paths with failing playwright Sahil Mirza (Rajkummar Rao). The narrative depicts a romantic relationship blossoming between the pair before Sweety reveals she is a lesbian, and in love with the confident, bold Kuhu (Regina Cassandra). Sweety faces the standard rejection and disownment, that many queer people face, from her father Balbir (Anil Kapoor) and older brother Babloo (Abhishek Duhan).

This film is a massive leap for Indian cinema; Sweety’s harsh reality is embedded into a familiar Punjabi family setting that an Indian audience will be familiar with. The Chaudary family does have the conventions of a traditional Indian family as depicted in Bollywood. Babloo filling the archetype of the ‘Bada Bhai’ (big brother) who is obsessed with protecting the family’s izzat (honour), Sweety being the quiet, ‘Damsel in Distress’ and even Sweety’s Biji (grandma) acting as the overemotional, wailing stereotype. The film uses the Chaudary family as its centrepiece to tackle plenty of social issues as well as same sex relations, but seeing as it is an LGBT film, let’s dive into that first!

The representation of Sweety’s navigation of life as a queer woman seems fairly accurate and the film depicts how it often is an incredibly dark experience for LGBT Indians dealing with the toxic elements of our culture. Her acceptance of living this extreme secret life and just marrying a man and burying her true desires is an idea that many queer Asians seriously consider – we are conditioned to think that being authentic is selfish to our families after everything they have done for us. We are conditioned to think that society will look down on our homes and that our parents will face defamation and the film depicts this really well. Sweety’s isolated childhood illustrates the struggles that our LGBT children face daily – self-doubt, self-hate, realising you are different and if that isn’t enough, there’s always bullying and harassment. Shelley Chopra Dhar’s dark but heart-warming of this journey is not patronising in any sense, but overall realistic and gives the public a good glimpse into the struggles of queer youth.

The film also touches upon Balbir Chaudary’s chef dream being dashed by his mother, who would not let him cook as she claimed it emasculated him. We see him sneaking into the kitchen in his own home, constantly walking on egg shells as not to be caught by his mother at his grown age. This obviously does echo certain aspects of Indian society. This type of toxic masculinity is also echoed in Babloo’s character and his fixation for misogyny under the rouse of the defamation of his family. However, Babloo is part of the queer experience as this is often one viewpoint that South Asian LGBT+ people are often faced with. 

As mentioned previously, the centrepiece of the film is the Chaudary family itself and how they respond to Sweety’s sexuality and as a result does not focus on the love story between Sweety and Kuhu – which I personally felt was a little disappointing. Kuhu’s character was much downplayed. The scenes between the pair were very endearing but it was clear that both Kapoor and Cassandra just did not have the right chemistry, as well as their scenes together being extremely limited. But honestly, I’m not mad and I understand that neither actress has played a queer woman, as for the limited scenes, it could be argued that perhaps the Bollywood audience is simply not ready for a full-blown mainstream lesbian love story. However, the response definitely suggests otherwise! Even though there has not been as many responses as a traditional summer blockbuster, the film appears to have been received and welcomed by modern India.

modelled by: @on-good-days-im-charming-as-fuck // @marlenetomasiniphotography