Dé VakantieDiscounter has launched a TV commercial that pokes fun at the usual sentimental Christmas commercials. Not with a tear – although it seems that way at first – but with a wink. The starting point of the commercial is the sensitivity surrounding going on holiday during the Christmas season. One in six Dutch people indicate that social pressure from the family is a reason to stay at home during the holidays. Of the people who do dare to go, a third say that it is precisely to escape social obligations. And so viewers also see the main character from the commercial enjoying a tropical cocktail in a hammock instead of a shrimp cocktail with the family. The video stands out because it mocks the usual sentimental Christmas advertisements. People are first misled. A sensitive chord is touched, reinforced by the song Seasons by Jonah Capetown, followed by a comical denouement. ‘It’s quite an exciting choice to choose this approach,’ says Thijs Keukenmeester of the VakantieDiscounter. ‘We are aware that the beginning of the commercial can really hit home with people. But we also know from our tests that the joke that comes after is appreciated by the vast majority of viewers. Humour and the ability to put things into perspective are always important in our commercials and for us as an organisation.’ The advertising film was made by agency INDIE. ‘In December, many advertisers go big with emotional commercials. The trick is to stand out. For the VakantieDiscounter, we do this with a nod to all the drama of other brands’, says creative director Lode Schaeffer. 
