Santa Tries to Keep Up at the Speed of Ecommerce in This Humorous Ad for Sweden’s Postal Service

In a world where Amazon can deliver groceries straight to your doorstep within mere hours, Santa and his workshop don’t pack the same punch as they once did. At least in that’s the general consensus in this holiday campaign for PostNord, Sweden’s postal service. In the ad, Santa is disappointed to find out that the public now wants packages delivered every single day, not just on Christmas—and that people are “not really happy” with his one-day-a-year shtick. [kickout id="1"] After hearing the news, a flustered Santa tries to bring his elves up to speed so they can give the people what they want. It turns out to be a fruitless effort, though, as his workshop quickly devolves into chaos as his elves attempt to turn the North Pole into a 365/24/7 operation. Alarms blare, packages fall and phones ring off the hook as Santa tries to manage the mess. He eventually gives up the endeavor after news reports and protesters heavily criticize his ability to get people their packages on time. When he sees a little girl walking with a box—and she and her dad give him a friendly nod and wave—Santa decides to continue with his mission. While it might seem like a feel-good story for the holidays, the campaign actually has a deeper meaning. The tale told in the ad mimics many of the struggles that PostNord itself has faced in recent years as it’s struggled to keep with the rise of ecommerce. According to Forsman & Bodenfors Sweden, the agency behind the campaign, PostNord has faced “some challenges due to the drastic increase of parcels” over the past few years. To keep up with increased demand, PostNord has made many improvements as of late, including building additional terminals and improving its app. The company is hoping this campaign will serve as a lighthearted way of letting consumers know of all the changes and that it is more than ready for the holiday season. Thomas Backteman, communications director at PostNord, said the film is “primarily aimed at making people smile” during such a hectic time of year. “We know that we are not as bad as the outside world perceives us, but to get people to listen, we understand that we have to start at a place where the Swedish people are,” he said. “That is our intention with the film, and we hope the audience will like it.” The campaign is currently running on TV and digital channels. CREDITS: Advertiser: PostNord Client: Thomas Backteman, Tobias Wagner, Emma Riblom Agency: Forsman & Bodenfors Art Director: Evelina Rönnung Copywriters: Olle Langseth, Anna Qvennerstedt Account Director: Robert Johnsson Account Executive: Martin Johansson Designer: Sara Lemchen Agency Producer: Magnus Kennhed Strategic Planner: Trine Keller-Andreasen Film: Director: Filip Tellander Executive Producer: Johan Lindström Producer: Frida Heder Director of Photography: Benjamin Loeb Set Designer: Johan Broome Stylist: Rebecca Palmer Make-Up: Eva Von Bahr VFX: Calle Roos/Fable Grade: Max Strömberg/Swiss Online: Peter Marin/Swiss Music: Håkan Eriksson Sound: Ponytail Sound Media agency: OMD Post Production (Print & Online): F&B Factory