The Art of the Holiday Ad with Yves Geleyn

Yves Geleyn is a director for animation studio Hornet, a storyteller who adds nuance to narrative through his visually stunning visuals and creative decisions across a range of animated mediums - from stop motion to innovative CGI. Obsessed with life's subtleties and revealing quiet truths, he has made a name for himself creating a catalogue of seasonal spots for brands like Coca-Cola, John Lewis and Kroger.

His celebrated campaigns for Christmas and the Lunar New Year have won awards and showcase his meticulous attention to detail and passion for vivid storytelling. Speaking to LBB’s Ben Conway, he discusses what makes the holiday season so rich in creative inspiration, his favourite festive ads of all time, and some insights into his most beloved pieces of holiday work - from ‘The Bear and the Hare’ to Coke’s Lunar New Year campaigns.

LBB> Have the holidays always been a particularly special time of year for you personally? What are some of your favourite traditions, feelings and imagery that you take inspiration from in your holidays work? 

Yves> Maybe I should preface this with the fact that I’ve been given the nickname ‘Christmas Yves’ for my love of the season and work on various holiday commercials for the past decade.

I grew up with a very multicultural background (UK, Germany, France, Italy, USA) and each country has unique holiday traditions, dishes, decorations, folklore etc. For example, in Germany, we had Krampus, while my Northern French roots put emphasis on the generosity of St. Nicholas. A lot of the decorations I grew up with are influenced by Nordic and German styles and feature natural elements. I look forward every year to the feast of the seven fishes for Christmas on the Italian side of the family. We just came out of Thanksgiving, which is its own thing, entirely. All that to say, I keep these things in mind when making commercials for specific audiences.

LBB> When creating a festive campaign, are there any pitfalls or clichés you’re keen to avoid? Equally, what exciting opportunities does a holiday campaign provide?

Yves> I think the best holiday commercials are story-driven and tap into relatable themes, and you can play into clichés in new ways that will still resonate. But while clichés are not necessarily bad, striking a balance so you’re not too sad or kitschy is essential for people to lean into it.

LBB> What do all the best holidays ads have in common? What is the key to memorability?

Yves> Successful holiday ads, in my opinion, focus on compelling stories and characters first and foremost, with technique serving to enhance the narrative.

LBB> Is there a balancing act between making people feel sentimental with something familiar, and doing something new and creative that people haven’t seen before? 

Yves> Striking the right emotional tone is paramount. There’s no perfect balance of familiar tones and new elements - it's about creating a story that people can connect with on an emotional level. Universal relatability is key, considering the myriad ways people celebrate the winter holidays.

LBB> What are your favourite holiday spots (that you didn’t work on) and why?

‘Christmas Bells’ – Hershey’s Kisses (1989) 

This is a perfect example of ‘less is more’. It’s a genius idea. They have been playing this commercial for 30 years thanks to the sheer simplicity of the idea. That says it all. 

‘The Long Wait’ – John Lewis (2011)

A great commercial with a strong story by the one and only Dougal Wilson. The timing is perfect, the acting is spot on and it hits the exact emotions they intended to without being overly cliché. It’s the perfect balance of all the ingredients needed to make a great holiday commercial.

‘What would Christmas be without love?’ - ERSTE (2018)

This animated commercial by Kyra & Constantin is visually well executed in order to serve the story: the character designs are great, the animation is very subtle, the renders are really interesting, and the lighting is spot on. The ending is surprising and sweet at the same time. It’s a holiday commercial I would have loved to direct.

LBB> Why is animation such a good medium for holiday campaigns? 

Yves> Animation is great for creativity. The possibilities for storytelling are endless and the wide umbrella of animation techniques and styles allows for the most variety of worldbuilding, character design and stylised action. My work for John Lewis, Coca-Cola, Kroger, and USPS all look and feel so incredibly different, but are still able to be emotional and celebratory in all the right ways. And with recurring campaigns, you can keep it within the same branded world but make it completely different each time.

LBB> You’ve directed holiday spots for over 10 years now - how have you seen the audience’s attitudes and preferences change in that time? And equally, what remains the same?

Yves> It’s less of a change and more of an ever-evolving landscape based on the mood of the people and the current state of the world, which changes each year. So, each year you need to be able to deliver something different and new. What remains the same is the fact that the people want to get taken somewhere emotionally and feel the holiday spirit.

LBB> What has been your biggest lesson or most fulfilling moment from working on holidays ads in the last 10 years? And what do you look forward to about doing more of them in the future?

Yves> Holiday ads are story-driven and that’s what I love the most. They tend to get more time for production and writing, and require a lot of meaningful detail, which I also love.

My holiday season is in the summer when we get to start pitching and working on the holiday commercials. Since the process starts roughly in June, I get to be in the holiday spirit for half the year. One of my favourite things about holiday projects is also having the chance to work with so many incredible people over the year. I’m excited to continue to be inspired by new ideas and work with themes and narratives we haven’t explored before.

LBB> Okay - now let’s hear about your own holidays spots! 

‘The Bear and the Hare’ - John Lewis (2013) 

This was a once in a lifetime experience, where all the stars aligned. We had amazing people, a great story, gorgeous characters, perfect execution, beautiful music etc. Everything was perfect. It became a timeless piece that still resonates after 10 years.

Holiday Spots - Kroger (2022, 2023) 

I have been working on the Kroger broadcast campaign for a couple years now, and the world and look is very established, but we treat the holiday spots like holiday specials. I love that we can try to make something unique every year while keeping the same familiar look people love. I hope next year we could try to do a stop motion or 2D version of the Kroji!

Lunar New Year Spots - Coca-Cola (2022, 2023) 

The success of these films is in the symbiotic relationship between Hornet, the agency and the client - we all work together to push these films creatively. Every year, I love that I get to immerse myself in Chinese culture and traditions for months on end.

Built for the Holidays - USPS (2023) 

This was a great challenge to create a miniature winter wonderland all built out of USPS boxes and shipping materials. I think the success of the film is in its simplicity, execution of the idea and the nostalgia of it all.