Zellers Holiday TV commercial

Forget about the fact that this festive TV spot falls into the can’t-get-that-catchy-tune-out-of-my-head genre. Instead focus on the hipness factor and that it’s coming from Zellers. Zellers. Not The Gap. This spot continues the Target-ization of Zellers but has a lot more oomph than previous efforts. It delivers on surprising style but in a manner that is still rooted in the Zellers world of family and gift giving. The group at Toronto-based Leo Burnett, led by CCO Judy John, was responsible for bringing Zellers holiday cheer with this nationally run spot (in both French and English), which launched Nov. 1.

Planters Peanuts Busboards

Okay, so, Mr. Peanut may be synonymous with kickass snack food – but as a standalone? That hourglass silhouette complete with trademark top hat, cane and gloves doesn’t exactly conjure up visions of sugarplums. Or does it? Catch a glimpse of some transit boards with Mr. Peanut plunked into Santa’s sled or standing beside a Christmas light reindeer and it’s guaranteed to make you want some nuts with your nog. Headed by CD Peter Holmes of Toronto-based Holmes & Lee, these busboards are part of a larger national billboard campaign that plays upon Planters Peanuts being ‘the original snack food,’ which has been around for 100 years. The campaign (see Creative page 30) launched mid-November.

Labatt Blue’s Réveillons Noël CD

Riding the wave of its successful Parti Bleue campaign, which saw fictitious alternative party candidate Jonathan Bleue mockingly run for federal election in the spring, Labatt has launched the French-language CD Réveillons Noël. Tagged with the theme ‘There’s no way Christmas is going to ruin our holidays,’ this disc features revised holiday classics à la Jonathan Bleue, which include songs alluding to a magical sleigh ride turning into a chase for a parking spot, or the holy hour being 2:45 a.m. in the bar. Looking to be more a part of pop culture than advertising culture, the group at Montreal BBDO got it right with the first run of CDs (13,000) selling out in Quebec. The

campaign was led by CD Martin Beauvais, AD Patrick Beauchemin and producer Jocelyne Dubuc, but kudos also go to copywriter Nicolas Dion for stepping outside the box and writing the CD’s lyrics (music provided by Studio Apollo). Launched Nov. 16, Internet users can download four of the nine songs free from www.reveillonsnoel.com.