# Why do they keep running the same Christmas ads on TV? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 17, 2020, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-keep-running-the-same-christmas-ads-on-tv/925797 "2020-11-17T15:08:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-keep-running-the-same-christmas-ads-on-tv/925797/1 "2020-11-17T15:08:29Z")
Christmas is a time of Tradition, I know. That’s why we sing centuries-old songs in long-ago styles, eat the same seasonal foods 9that many of us hate), and practice the same old customs. But why does this have to extend to the damned TV ads/ It seems that every year, instead of coming up with new advertisements, the advertisers go up in the attic, bring down the repurposed corrugated boxes, pull out the old ads wrapped up in last year’s newspapers, dust them off, and simply re-run them, with no or only minor changes. This year I’ve seen 1.) The Lincoln Aviator commercial with the woman driving her new Lincoln up the snow-banked curving driveway to her posh modern home and finds chaos within. Rather than deal with the kids playing baseball or kids and dads playing with multiple drones or the dog wrapped in Christmas lights or whatever, she retreats to her car and basks in the tranquility (while slowly freezing, presumably). Lest you say “Aha! But it worked! You remembered what it was for!” – no, I didn’t. I had to search with a search engine to zero in on the exact company and car. So there. All the damned ad does is annoy me. 2.) GMC Denali Ad – “I Love It!” You probably know which ad I’m talking about from that line alone. Wife announces to husband that she got them both matching gifts early (I still can’t tell what the hell it is). Hubby says he got them matching gifts, too – matching cars. She immediately runs over to the one he intended for himself and says “I Love It!”, claiming it for her own, and if he disagrees (goes the subtext) he’ll be sleeping on the couch for the next year. And after she gave him a gift, too! My wife cannot mute this one fast enough for her. I don’t know what’s worse – their actions, or the conspicuous consumerism and implied wealth of being able to buy TWO brand-new SUVs, or the fact that they’ve been running this for at least three years. It was evidently hated two years ago 3.) The M and M CGI Christmas Bell ad I don’t mind this one. At least I can afford to buy two of the product, and nobody’s acting selfish in it. The basic ad has been running since 1989, although the current CGI version only goes back – “only” – to 2012 It even has its own Wikipedia page > **[Christmas Bells (advertisement)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_Bells_(advertisement))** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > "Christmas Bells" is an American television commercial produced by the Hershey Company promoting Hershey's Kisses. The advertisement, originally produced with stop-motion animation and later being redone with CGI animation, features Hershey's Kisses, fashioned as a handbell choir, playing the Christmas carol "We Wish You a Merry Christmas". It debuted in December 1989 and is shown in the United States and Canada each holiday season; as such, it is... I’m sure there are plenty of others. “Even our name says Merry Christmas” (Apparently this one, dating back to the 1960s, was at least until recently _still running_ in some places) ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-keep-running-the-same-christmas-ads-on-tv/925797/2 "2020-11-17T15:34:20Z")
My husband and I were just talking about the Hershey’s Kiss commercial. They sure got their money’s worth out of that one! And the couple that gets 2 new SUVs as gifts makes me want to vomit. Who thought that was commercial any of us could relate to? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-keep-running-the-same-christmas-ads-on-tv/925797/3 "2020-11-17T15:38:33Z")
In the case of long-running Christmas ads, like the Hershey’s Kisses one (there’s a Miller beer ad, with a horse-drawn sleigh, which also comes to mind), it’s a matter of ads which many consumers really like, and look forward to seeing every year. I also suspect that, this year, we’ll see some ads reused or repurposed from last year, as shooting new ads can be problematic right now. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-keep-running-the-same-christmas-ads-on-tv/925797/4 "2020-11-17T15:38:48Z")
Ads are difficult and expensive to produce. When you produce an effective one, why change, especially when you can really only use it 1/12 of the year? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-keep-running-the-same-christmas-ads-on-tv/925797/5 "2020-11-17T16:55:26Z")
> [@TRC4941](#): > > And the couple that gets 2 new SUVs as gifts makes me want to vomit. Who thought that was commercial any of us could relate to? When I saw that commercial last night, I happened to notice (for the first time)the view of their house from the driveway. “In Xanadu did Kubla Khan. A stately pleasure-dome decree. . .” ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-keep-running-the-same-christmas-ads-on-tv/925797/6 "2020-11-17T17:05:22Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Wife announces to husband that she got them both matching gifts early (I still can’t tell what the hell it is). Looks like a pair of matching FitBits to me. Which _clearly_ should give her first dibs on the pickup 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-keep-running-the-same-christmas-ads-on-tv/925797/7 "2020-11-17T17:38:28Z")
Lexus has been running their “December to Remember” ads where the husband surprises his wife with a brand new luxury car with a giant bow on top since the 1990s. Sure, they re-shoot it with the latest model, but it’s pretty much the same ad. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-keep-running-the-same-christmas-ads-on-tv/925797/8 "2020-11-17T17:42:51Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > especially when you can really only use it 1/12 of the year? I _wish_ Christmas was confined to 1/12 of the year. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-keep-running-the-same-christmas-ads-on-tv/925797/9 "2020-11-17T21:10:54Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > Lexus has been running their “December to Remember” ads where the husband surprises his wife with a brand new luxury car with a giant bow on top since the 1990s. I recall effectively the same ad by Cadillac throughout the late 1960s / early 70s. The luxomobile car as surprise Christmas gift has a long and sordid pedigree. My Dad actually did that for Mom one year around then but the car itself wasn’t a surprise; they’d ordered it together some weeks earlier. The only surprise was the big red bow that morning. Count me in as yet another somebody who took an instant hatred to the two-Denali couple. And _especially_ the spoiled brat of a woman. That’ll be a very expensive divorce and the only way to make it cheaper is to do it sooner. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-keep-running-the-same-christmas-ads-on-tv/925797/10 "2020-11-17T21:24:49Z")
I doubt that car ads use the same year and model of car every year. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-keep-running-the-same-christmas-ads-on-tv/925797/11 "2020-11-17T21:28:55Z")
Ancient Chinese secret for some clothes cleaner was around a long time. Can’t recall the brand. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-keep-running-the-same-christmas-ads-on-tv/925797/12 "2020-11-17T21:38:00Z")
I suspect it’s the same reason that they air the same Christmas TV specials. It’s not just tradition, but warmth of the familiar yet anticipated–i.e. nostalgia. Christmas is basically the time for nostalgia. Sure, this only really applies to classics that have stood the test of time. But then, every company wants to create a new classic that people look forward to. I still anticipate the M&M’s ad with Santa, myself. It would be interesting if they had a clean copy and could AI upscale it. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-keep-running-the-same-christmas-ads-on-tv/925797/13 "2020-11-17T21:54:51Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > 3.) The M and M CGI Christmas Bell ad > > I don’t mind this one. Or notice what they’re advertising! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-keep-running-the-same-christmas-ads-on-tv/925797/14 "2020-11-17T22:01:35Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I also suspect that, this year, we’ll see some ads reused or repurposed from last year, as **shooting new ads can be problematic right now**. This. Hulu [threw a lampshade on the part I bolded](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LampshadeHanging) back in August. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPCnVeiQsUw) ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-keep-running-the-same-christmas-ads-on-tv/925797/15 "2020-11-17T22:32:50Z")
The only example of reusing old commercials that I could think of was Raisin Bran’s 1985 commercial with Sturdy Danny McGee, which got trotted out in 1990 and again in 2006: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/gWumCH7Jzfk/hqdefault.jpg "Kellogg's Raisin Bran Lumberjack Commercial 2006 (1985)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWumCH7Jzfk) Not Christmas-related, but presumably aimed at evoking nostalgia of some sort. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-keep-running-the-same-christmas-ads-on-tv/925797/16 "2020-11-17T22:45:58Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > Not Christmas-related, but presumably aimed at evoking nostalgia of some sort. A few other non-holiday ads which nonetheless have been shown for decades, again due to consumer appeal and nostalgia: Life Cereal’s “Mikey” ad, which premiered in 1972, ran for over a decade, and has been brought back several times since (both the original, and remakes/homages): [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/CLQ0LZSnJFE/maxresdefault.jpg "Life Cereal Mikey Likes It Commercial HD") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLQ0LZSnJFE) Tootsie Pops’ “Mister Owl” ad, premiered in 1970, and has run on-and-off ever since. (Last month, I was seeing a shortened version of it on TV, undoubtedly being run to encourage moms to buy Tootsie Pops as Halloween candy.) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/pvFzOgK-V9E/hqdefault.jpg "(1970) Tootsie Pop Commercial (Original Full Version)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvFzOgK-V9E) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-keep-running-the-same-christmas-ads-on-tv/925797/17 "2020-11-17T22:57:39Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Ancient Chinese secret for some clothes cleaner was around a long time. Can’t recall the brand. I didn’t even need to research it: Calgon water softener. Sad, really, that I remember that. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-keep-running-the-same-christmas-ads-on-tv/925797/18 "2020-11-17T23:03:54Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I’m sure there are plenty of others. > > “Even our name says Merry Christmas” > > (Apparently this one, dating back to the 1960s, was at least until recently _still running_ in some places) Santa riding an electric razor over the snow – Norelco (Noëlco). I know I saw this as recent as 2 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-keep-running-the-same-christmas-ads-on-tv/925797/19 "2020-11-17T23:21:09Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > I didn’t even need to research it: Calgon water softener. > > Sad, really, that I remember that. As did I. Lodged in my brain somewhere. Probably too many childhood summer days spent watching “The Price is Right” and “Match Game” instead of playing outside. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzixL7Ef-bI) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-keep-running-the-same-christmas-ads-on-tv/925797/20 "2020-11-17T23:23:26Z")
^ I’ve always been convinced the wife’s voice is dubbed. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-keep-running-the-same-christmas-ads-on-tv/925797.md?page=2)