Alltel giving the same gifts for the holiday

Campbell-Ewald and Alltel give Chad and the gang the Rankin-Bass treatment in a suite of holiday spots. They’re well done and diverting, but the approach seems strangely familiar. Oh right, Alltel produced a similar effort last year! There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, but it’s like getting a slightly different red tie two Christmases in a row. No matter how nice the second one is, the novelty has worn off—the thrill is gone. Also, the rival sales guys seem kinda subversive in a South Park-y way, while Chad and Santa come off as patently uncool.