Holiday ads often like to show families coming together as they remember the spirit of Christmas, and fast food chain Chick-fil-A was no exception last year with its animated spot from McCann.
The brand’s 2019 spot focused on a magical business called The Time Shop, where a child named Sam finds a way to get her parents to break away from their adult responsibilities long enough to make a snowman.
Now Sam and fam are back for a second year and discovering a new shop—SwitchWorks, which has switches to activate just about anything. Will the business have a way to light back up the town in a year of darkened windows. The spot is clearly referencing the bleak experience of wandering communities amid Covid-19 lockdowns, and the cure is, perhaps unsurprisingly for a holiday ad, acts of kindness toward others.
“2020 has been a tough year for a lot of people and has brought challenges and heartaches we never could have anticipated,” said Ashley Callahan, Chick-fil-A senior marketing director. “But it’s also been a year where many have shined brightly, extending acts of kindness and generosity—many of which we’ve experienced firsthand through the actions of our guests, team members and others throughout our communities. Those little acts of kindness give us all hope and are the inspiration for this year’s holiday film and digital experience.”
In addition to the 2-minute spot, Chick-fil-A and McCann created a microsite to send messages of “hope, gratitude and kindness” to loved ones.
Here’s a look back at last year’s holiday spot:
CREDITS:
Client: Chick-Fil-A
Jon Bridges, EVP, Chief Marketing Officer
Joe Saracino, SVP, Brand Strategy, Advertising & Media
Ashley Callahan, Sr. Director, Integrated Creative
David Rowe, Sr. Principal Team Leader, Integrated Creative
Haley Shue, Sr. Project Coordinator, Integrated Creative
Emily Thomson, Sr. Product Lead, Customer Technology & Insights
Sara Storck, Director, Brand Strategy
Rich Cutter, Sr. Principal Team Leader, In-house Creative Agency
Alok Nath – Principal Team Leader, In-house Creative Agency
Nikki Barnett, Sr. Project Specialist, In-house Creative Agency
Alston Foster, Design Lead, In-house Creative Agency
Monique Birkeli, Director, In-house Creative Agency
Allison Fortune, Project Lead, Restaurant Communications
Georgia Gray Wilson, Sr. Project Specialist, Integrated Creative
Gillian Mauldin, Design Lead, Brand Strategy
Emily Randall, Sr. Team Leader, Integrated Creative
Lynah Stone, Sr. Project Coordinator, Integrated Creative
Katie Joiner, Principal Team Leader, Integrated Creative
Lindsey Harrison, Sr. Coordinator, Integrated Creative
Amy Wells, Sr. Lead Advisor, Marketing Investment
Tresa Spencer, Sr. Principal Team Leader, Marketing Investment & Consulting
Chelsea Lee, Principal Team Leader, Public Relations
Arlenis Almonte, Sr. Project Lead, Integrated Creative
Dustin Britt, Sr. Director, Marketing Investment & Consulting
Ross Grimes, Sr. Principal Team Leader, Marketing Investment & Consulting
Rachel Geist, Sr. Counsel, Corporate Legal
Bill Hightower, Director, Corporate Legal
Natalie Williams, Sr. Counsel, Corporate Legal
Hannah Cataldo, Sr. Project Lead, Operator Communications
Agency: McCann
Devika Bulchandani, President, McCann North America
Sean Bryan, Co-Chief Creative Officer, McCann North America
Tom Murphy, Co-Chief Creative Officer, McCann North America
Veronica Bertran, Chief Client Officer, McCann North America
Larry Platt, EVP Executive Creative Director, McCann New York
Danny Rodriguez, EVP Executive Creative Director, McCann New York
