Santa doesn’t ‘do’ poor countries
by David Lowings on Dec 19, 2011
I came across this ad for Unicef in Sweden on Ad Week: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZF3Aqdbruy8
It’s made by Swedish agency Forsman & Bedenfors, and is obviously intended to shock.
We see a cuddly, red-cheeked, stereotypical Santa Claus sorting out a miscellany of presents for people, full of good cheer – until he comes across a gift of medical supplies, presumably destined for a recipient in a third world country. Santa’s mood changes immediately, and he declares, “I don’t do poor countries”. The ad ends with a line from Unicef: “We go where Santa doesn’t”.
It’s quite a shocking piece of communication, using the iconic Christmas character in a very atypical way. But I guess that’s the point – getting an unambiguous message across that the Christmas spirit should extend beyond friends and family in the rich developed countries. It’s a powerful way to bring the reality of poverty home to those of us that can afford to give.
It’s certainly using ‘Brand Santa’ in a very unexpected way. But if it encourages donations I have to vote in favour.
Just as long as it is only aired after the watershed!