THE UNDYING LEGEND: KOFOLA - THE GOLDEN PIGGY
Even Czechs have their own advertising that de facto heralds Christmas. Just as the UK has their John Lewis, we have our wild boar, but it lacks something to the golden one. The legendary Christmas advert doesn't seem to have aged at all since 2003, when it first appeared on TV screens. Unlike John Lewis, who year after year comes up with new original spots exquisitely rich in narrative, this domestic gem has made do with a few basic remasters and adaptations over nearly twenty years. The spot brilliantly combines honoring popular Christmas traditions with typical Czech situational humor. The main role here is played by the superstition of the golden pig that appears to those who fast on Christmas Eve. The popular catchphrase "No, I don't have to, I can see it already." is proof that this superstition can take on a whole new dimension when you go into the woods. This year, however, the re-launch of the ad will have a sad touch - on 1 November, its author Robert Peňažka died after a long illness. But for this achievement alone he will certainly never be forgotten, even though he himself admitted that no one expected the ad to become such a success. "With Kofola, the intention was not to create a legendary campaign at all, but to come up with a good Christmas campaign. That's the main ingredient. If you do it right, it will pay off and it has a chance to become a legend," he recalled in 2020. Well, in this case, he succeeded brilliantly.
Video: Kofola - The Golden Piggy (2003)
Perhaps the most significant modification of the legendary ad was in 2019, when the authors played with its ending and key point. The story setting remained the same, as did the acting duo of Josef Polášek and Sandra Flemrová. However, Kofola comes with reassuring news - everyone can see the golden piggy on Christmas Eve, even those who don't fast! The answer lies in the stars, where the constellation of the Ursa Major, when properly connected, hides the very image of a pig. The editing was incorporated into the spot to make it as unobtrusive as possible, so it may seem that this ending was already planned when the spot was created. However, Kofola was well aware that there was no point in changing something that works perfectly. That's why they just spruced up their family gem and gave it a new dynamic.
Video: Kofola - The Golden Piggy (2019)
"The commercial was very sweet, pretty and Christmassy. There was nothing to fault it. The association of Kofola with Christmas is a little surprising. The spot was created just to remind people of brand, not to persuade them. It builds the image of Kofola as a pleasant drink," explained marketing expert Jiří Mikeš, explaining its appeal for the Czech Republic. "It had its own, albeit simple, humour, it fit the Christmas atmosphere and eventually became one of the most popular commercials of the new millennium." In fact, it turned something that seemed quite ordinary on paper into a cult phenomenon.
Kofola's piggy may have a cult status, but that doesn't mean that there aren't a number of other hilarious advertising campaigns in the Czech Republic in the run-up to Christmas. Do you remember any of the following?
OSKAR - THE CARP (2001)
In the days when global Vodafone was still a purely Czech Oskar, mobile operators in the Czech Republic did not have such a big problem attracting potential customers. The main reasons for this were the unsaturated market and the enthusiasm with which Czechs were discovering the conveniences of telecommunications technology at the turn of the millennium. Christmas was an ideal opportunity to make the already quite advantageous Oskar's offer even better. The operator even went so far as to bet in the campaign that customers would not be able to take their eyes off it, which could cause hilarious complications at Christmas. A senior citizen who went to buy the obligatory Christmas carp found this out. But she is unlucky that the seller has fully fallen under the spell of Oscar and unwittingly eviscerates the customer's handbag instead of the carp. Already in 2001 it was obvious what direction telecom operators would take in their Christmas advertising. To this day, it is still evident in their spots that they are definitely not sparing any money and are mainly aiming to entertain TV viewers. This particular Oscar ad may have been a very early flagship, but it is certainly no less memorable. Unlike its ideological successors, it didn't need an expensive production or a protagonist with a familiar face. It simply took a popular Christmas tradition, added a funny punchline and made the audience laugh. That was enough for Oscar at the time to "steal Christmas" for themselves, so to speak.
Video: Oskar - The Carp (2001)
VODAFONE - VODAFONE CHRISTMAS (2006)
For Christmas 2006, the mobile operator could have prepared a nice and classic Christmas ad for TV viewers. But the company, due to a confluence of various coincidences, said no... and so a cult was born. During the preparations for the Christmas season, Vodafone's existing communications agency left the company and the operator's marketing director Martin Jaroš turned to actor and comedian Petr Čtvrtníček with a huge challenge. In three days he had to come up with a campaign that normally takes three months to create. And the result came - it was Čtvrtníček himself in a plaid sweater in front of a white screen and a pack of Chihuahuas dressed in reindeer costumes. The master of satire could hardly be expected to avoid his typical humour. The result is a spot that breaks down many Christmas clichés, isn't based on ubiquitous marketing and just sort of takes on a life of its own. When you realise that this is an ad for a mobile phone operator, you are also struck by the fact that not a single phone appears in the entire ad. This was the first part of the whole series of commercials, and in the following spots, the authors devoted themselves to other motifs from the usual Christmas commercials. Always featuring the same dog/reindeer pack. However, the first ad that managed to make the whole republic laugh can claim the status of a legend within the campaign.
Video: Vodafone - Vodafone Christmas (2006)
TESCO - MERRY CHRISTMAS (2010)
A traditional Christmas carol plays a central role in an advertisement by the British retail chain Tesco for the Czech audience. The song Půjdem spolu do Betléma (Let's Go to Bethlehem Together) is so closely intertwined with the Christmas holidays in the Czech Republic that even those who don't like Christmas sometimes catch themselves humming this iconic tune. As this is a folk tune by an unknown author, it is subject to a free licence to use, giving everyone the opportunity to modify it to their liking. That's why Tesco introduced its own Christmas symphony in 2010, which is something of an intersection of tradition, emotion and 21st century consumerism. The spot proves that a proper Christmas carol can be knitted from the most unlikely sounds and jingles, and that it can work quite nicely too. Unlike the other commercials mentioned, don't expect a clear story with a message here - in this case, the ad is based on an original idea that works mainly with the viewer's imagination, interspersing less and more conventional scenes associated with Christmas in quick succession. Even so, it is an advert that many will remember fondly at Christmas.
Video: Tesco - Merry Christmas (2010)
T-MOBILE - CHUCK NORRIS GIVES NOTHING TO NO ONE (2010)
Another Christmas notch for the mobile operator, another hugely successful campaign with which the name of marketing magician Martin Jaroš is associated. Before Christmas 2010, he invited the unbeatable Texan ranger Chuck Norris to the Czech Republic to shoot an advertising series for T-Mobile, which responded mainly to the popular frenzy about anecdotes whose protagonist was the movie megastar. The series' most iconic commercial takes place at a public skating rink, where a Czech family has gone in order to teach their young son to skate. Naturally, they want to immortalize this memorable moment, so they ask a random bystander to take a picture. It's none other than Chuck Norris, who doesn't let the language barrier get in the way. Being mistaken for his Hong Kong rival Bruce Lee can only happen in the Czech Republic! In the next spots, Norris experiences a typical Czech Christmas in the home of a family from the ice rink. And he's not impressed. Thanks to this advertising campaign, it's no surprise that Chuck Norris doesn't give anything to anyone. Despite the fact that he certainly has the skills to gift everyone!
Video: T-Mobile - Chuck Norris Gives Nothing to No One (2010)
ORION - A CHOCOLATE STAR FOR CHRISTMAS (2010)
It would be strange if a company that has its own Christmas star in its logo did not contribute a little to this golden fund. The traditional Czech chocolatier Orion has always been well aware of its Christmas potential and made the most of it in the run-up to Christmas in 2010. It relied on the story of a little girl who encounters an unpleasant carambola while decorating the Christmas tree. A clumsy dad breaks the star on the tree, which awakens the girl's fears that her family will not find Ježíšek this year. So she goes to a confectioner for help, who makes her a replacement chocolate star out of Orion chocolate. The crisis is averted and the family can safely sit down to a rich Christmas Eve meal. The company has included in the spot everything that a proper Christmas ad needs - it recognises that Christmas is experienced mainly by children, who still cling closely to many traditions, believe in Ježíšek and consider Christmas literally the most important time of the whole calendar year. Despite the fact that the narrative of the advertisement is quite firmly anchored in a realistic setting, it is impossible not to feel a certain fairytale touch. Which is exactly what Orion excels at in its other memorable ads.
Video: Orion - A Chocolate Star for Christmas (2010)
T-MOBILE - POLISH CON ARTIST (2014)
After its success with Chuck Norris, T-Mobile has tried year after year to enrich the Czech media space with creative and funny campaigns with the help of famous personalities. For this effort, they recruited the popular Czech actor Ivan Trojan, who became the main protagonist of the winter campaign in 2014. In it, he portrays a typical Czech guy who gets into bizarre situations that always involve some kind of trouble with his mobile phone. Unfortunately, the most famous and the funniest ad of the series didn't stay on TV screens for very long. In it, Trojan is part of a group of cross-country skiers who encounter a Polish vexatious man disguised as a spruce tree during a ride into the mountains. The hero naively buys a new phone from him, but surprisingly, it breaks within moments. But the dealer is nowhere to be seen or heard from. The Czechs enjoyed the ad, but the same cannot be said of our eastern neighbours. Loud protests led to a complaint by the Polish ambassador, which sealed the fate of the ad. It has not returned to television, but the internet and social networks have been reliably taken over. It's probably a matter of opinion, but the satirical ad, using typical exaggeration, is not only taking potshots at Poles, but mainly at our country. It is another confirmation that Czech humour is often not very digestible abroad.
Video: T-Mobile - The Polish Con Man (2014)
PILSNER URQUELL - THE REAL CHRISTMAS (2016)
It is a well-known fact that Christmas brings people together. Czechs would certainly say the same thing about beer without thinking. Another indisputable truth is that loneliness at Christmas often hurts more than at any other time of the year. These were the main ideas behind Pilsner Urquell's successful Christmas campaign, which in 2016 came up with a touching presentation in which positive emotions play a major role. The narrative depicts a classic day for many parents and grandparents from whom their children moved away years ago. The first part of the clip can therefore seem a bit depressing, especially when the old man returns to his abandoned apartment... only to be welcomed by the whole family who wanted to spend Christmas Eve with him. In the blink of an eye, the advert becomes a message about the true values of Christmas, which we increasingly associate with ubiquitous consumerism. But Pilsner's TV campaign reminds us that it is the time spent with loved ones that makes Christmas a priceless time of year. To top it all off, the ideal musical backdrop has been chosen - an instrumental version of the strongly melancholic song Dívám se dívám by Petr Hapka and Michal Horáček. Nostalgia simply belongs to Christmas and it has a very different touch than it normally does.
Video: Pilsner Urquell - The Real Christmas (2016)
MALL.CZ - CUSTOMIZED CHRISTMAS (2017)
Whether we like it or not, Christmas nowadays is all about shopping. But in the era of e-commerce, it's more than clear that many shoppers will be doing the vast majority of their Christmas gift shopping in the digital space. As MALL.CZ's massive 2017 e-commerce campaign indicated, this brings numerous benefits with it. For example, you'll avoid the stress of visiting crowded malls, leaving you with plenty of energy for what matters most - time spent with family and loved ones. However, the campaign of the largest domestic market place would undoubtedly not resonate so intensely if it did not feature a literal parade of prominent Czech celebrities. Even before the official launch, Czech radio and music TV stations were flooded with the song Vánoce na míru (Customized Christmas) by Ewa Farna, which was later announced as the official tune of the MALL.CZ campaign. Several TV spots then featured mainly sports stars who invited viewers to their homes and let them see how celebrities spend their Christmas holidays. The narrative centre of the whole presentation lies in the micro-stories from their lives, we can see for example snowboarder Eva Samková, tennis player Radek Štěpánek, water slalom racer Ondřej Tunka or javelin thrower Barbora Špotáková. They are all tackling Christmas with the help of MALL.CZ, so why shouldn't you?
Video: MALL.CZ - Customized Christmas (2017): Here are more spots from the MALL.cz campaign.
LIDL - MIDNIGHT MASS WITH VÁCLAV NECKÁŘ (2020)
Christmas in 2020 was pretty specific, to say the least. The global covid pandemic has stopped many traditions from happening - whether it was limited restaurant and store hours or mandatory lockdowns coupled with curfews. Retail chain Lidl, however, has decided to treat its customers to its own version of midnight mass. It joined forces with singer Václav Neckář, who sang the Christmas hit Půlnoční (The Midnight Mass) for the animated film Alois Nebel. Lidl wants to remind Czechs that Christmas without consumerism and exuberant celebrations still does not lose its greatest charm - it lies in human belonging and in spending quality time with loved ones. He wants to prepare Czech society for a quieter, less glittery and different Christmas, which is certainly no less valuable. Apart from Neckář, the message in the TV spot is conveyed by the Christmas Express train, which boasts a magical and fairy-tale atmosphere. The whole clip escalates the moment the train arrives at a place where crowds of people sing Neckář's Christmas song together. Even the more discerning must give the campaign authors credit - Christmas 2020 was different, but given the circumstances it still had an unforgettable charm.
Video: LIDL - Midnight mass with Václav Neckář (2020)
ROHLÍK.CZ - AN ANGELICALLY PEACEFUL CHRISTMAS (2021)
The recipe for an angelically peaceful Christmas deservedly belongs to the delivery service Rohlík.cz. The company's business model, centred on a courier service that will arrange your grocery purchase and deliver it to your door, is a cure for all the stress associated with visits to malls flooded with pre-Christmas hysteria. The parish priest, played by actor Jiří Bartoška, who after a hard day in the confessional still can't believe that people haggle over such trifles as butter before Christmas. Even Jesus Christ himself has no proper explanation, but Rohlík.cz has a solution for the depressed parish priest. The pre-Christmas spot fulfils many ambitions - besides relying on an original narrative, it also contributes to the discussion about the nature of Christmas as a holiday of peace and quiet, something that is often forgotten. The Rohlík.cz courier can then literally play the role of an angel defending customers from the ubiquitous consumerism and hustle and bustle. According to Bartoška, the ad also captures the fact that the Catholic Church is modernizing, which is especially important during Christmas, when many atheists turn their attention to it. Jiří Bartoška's charisma is a strong enough added value in itself to ensure that the campaign became one of the most appreciated Czech Christmas campaigns of last year.
Video: Rohlík.cz - An angelically peaceful Christmas (2021)
Despite the impression that Czech Christmas advertisements mostly want to entertain, it would be shortsighted not to give them a more important message in many cases. Christmas is supposed to be a holiday of well-being, relaxation, and lightheartedness - something that sarcastic Czechs typically achieve not only through exaggerated emotions, but also through specific humour. That is why humorous Christmas advertising is not inferior to those that bravely convey a touching message on a serious note. But it is evident that Czech authors can excel at both. And they prove what to watch out for at Christmas.
Merry Christmas!
