More New Zealand 2020 Christmas ads

Here are more NZ Christmas ads for 2020. There are a few running now, including some international ones, but most of them don’t seem to be available on YouTube, so I can’t share them. Still, there are a few more to share.

The ad up top is from Mitre 10, a New Zealand-owned chain of home improvement stores. Probably obviously, the ad is too long to air frequently, and I saw it for the first time tonight. The ad is a parody of Mitre 10’s series of videos called “DIY Easy As”. some of which are also edited into ads. The ad is exactly like such videos are done—matter of fact building—and the fact it makes fun of itself, down to using ordinary builders’ tools instead of kitchen appliances, and with a straight face, is such a Kiwi thing to do. So is making a pav (pavlova), the quintessential Kiwi dessert, especially at Christmas.

As a bonus, I’m including another, more traditional video on making a pav (at the bottom of this post) from NZ-listed retail chain Briscoes Homeware. It’s related to Christmas, but not an ad. Mainly, it’s just a more straightforward explanation of how to make a pav (but not the recipe).

Speaking of food, and ad for Countdown, the New Zealand operation of Australian supermarket company, Woolworths:


One of the reasons I like the ad, I have to admit, is that the opening reminds me of Rankin/Bass’ 1964 animated Christmas special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. The ad itself has a lot of Christmas scenes, though I suspect that some of them were shot in Australia for Woolworth’s ads (I don’t know for sure because their ads aren’t shared online for some reason). At any rate, it’s a nice ad, especially for showing what Christmas in this part of the world is like.

Finally, an international ad currently running in New Zealand:



This version of the ad is longer than the one on New Zealand TV right now (and, it turns out, there’s a far, far longer version, too). Their YouTube Channel has different international ads, including this one intended for various markets, and I think that’s fascinating. Coca-Cola is an international brand, of course, and it makes sense to tailor ads to various countries, or to make then non-specific, as this one is. Still I did note that the pick-up truck appears to be North American (based on the license plate), and both trucks are left-hand drive. All in all, it’s a nice ad.

I wasn’t necessarily expecting to have any more Christmas ads to share this year, but Christmas is all about surprises, right? Surprise! Now, go make a pav.