8 Great holiday ads on YouTube [Videos]

More and more companies are recognising the diverse array of holiday occasions out there and tailoring adverts to each one. Depending which side of the fence you sit on, you might call it the height of cynicism or good customer relations. Whatever your feelings, there are times when special occasions and the world of marketing come together to produce special adverts. Memeburn decided to scour the depths of YouTube and find, in no particular order, eight of the best.

1. Nando’s — Diwali

Nando’s is best known for its cheeky pokes at current affairs. The Last Dictator Standing ad, which swept its way into viral history is probably the best example of this. The fast food outlet does, however, have another side. This stop motion ad, showing art created from a variety of spices, is a great way of linking a Hindu light festival and a franchise that built its name on selling spicy chicken.

2. Apple — Santa’s iPhone 4S

The iPhone 4S was probably on a lot of people’s Christmas lists in 2011, especially if they were in one of the markets that received Apple’s latest wonder device later than everyone else. Santa was clearly one of the early adopters though, and he’s completely rocking out on Siri.

3. Coca Cola Egypt’s Ramadan 2011 Ad

Egypt experienced a tumultuous 2011. In celebration of Ramadan, Google chose to offer a message of hope to its Egyptian customers. For those unable to read Arabic, the positive facts in the ad read something along the lines of:

For every corrupted person…8000 person donate their blood
For every person sees that Egypt won’t stand up again ….. 3 million children take their first step
For every lazy person in Ramadan ….13 million mothers prepare food
For every piece of bad news…. 50 jokes appear on it
For every dark street … 32 lanterns are lit on Ramadan

4. Ted Danson talks about “Stuff” for the Red Cross

Competing with the various adverts telling us we need a product at Christmas are those trying to remind us that the season is really all about giving. This Red Cross ad goes step further and reminds us that we should be giving to those who really need it. Voiced by Ted Danson (best known for his roles in Cheers and Becker, it’s simple, claymation-tastic, and handles a pretty heavy subject in a fairly light-hearted manner.

5. Petronas — Chinese New Year

This ad from Malaysian oil-giant celebrates Chinese New year with a combination of love triumphing over a long-time rivalry and a vintage kung-fu cinematic style.

6. Nando’s — Ramadan

Yep, it’s another entry from Nando’s. While it’s Diwali advert was all beauty and form, this one retains the chicken franchise’s keen sense of humour, while showing a profoundly respectful awareness of the intricacies of one of Islam’s holiest months.

7. Thanksgiving — Robert De Nero and Billy Crystal

It’s not always easy seeing our favourite actors take roles in adverts. Trying to pack all the skill reserved for a cinematic blockbuster into a 60 second spot can sometimes fail spectacularly. De Nero and Crystal, however, deliver a killer combo of humour and New York attitude in this Thanksgiving ad.

8. Chrismahanukwanzakah — Virgin Mobile

When I first saw this advert I cringed at its awkwardness. Then I thought about it, watched it again and realised that’s exactly what Virgin Mobile wanted me to do. “Forget peace, goodwill and joy to all on earth,” Virgin Mobile seems to be saying, “the real universal language of any holiday is killer deals”.