It's pantomime season

It's pantomime season I must admit I'm a bit of sucker for the seasons.

Christmas, Easter - even Halloween. I’m happy to wallow in nostalgia and embrace the family moments that they bring. Which usually makes me receptive to the crop of Xmas ads launched about now.

However, this year I’ve found myself feeling a bit 'bah humbug' about them.

But I couldn’t really put my finger on why. Until, that is, the penny dropped during a rare moment when my 16-year-old son was actually in the room called a living room watching the square screen in the corner called a TV. Laid lengthways on a sofa, nonchalantly scrolling through whatever he scrolls through on his phone, apparently watching TV through his ears, he pipes up with “That’s good” in response to a TV ad. It was actually the latest Tesco ad where the Mum asks herself whether she’s really ready for the Xmas onslaught. I asked him why. His response? “Because it’s honest.” I sat there thinking ‘How could such an unremarkable ad cut through to reach a multi-screening teenager?’ And then I realized. Xmas ads have become like pantomines. They’re full of predictable plot lines and "he's behind you" and "oh no he's not" audience participation (manipulation) moments. People pretending they don’t really know what’s going on, but willingly playing along. It's what the audience has come to expect – but is it what the ad industry should be giving them?

Switching entertainment genres for a moment, it reminds me of music in the late 70s.

The album charts were dominated by rock acts like Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin (and others who have stood the test of time less well.) They made concept albums about Tolkien and pixies, and their bombastic live shows contained 20 minute guitar solos and pyrotechnic drum solos.

And then along came punk and blew it all apart. What it lacked in musicality and craft, it made up for in terms of visceral energy and 'not what went before' difference. It was rebellious. It challenged all conventions and did what it did without thinking about the audience. And in that sense it was honest. So maybe it’s time for some punk Christmas ads?