Confusing Christmas ads? They're one way to stand out

Christmas advertising is in full swing. But how does an advertiser stand out from the crowd? Surprisingly, one way is to confuse the customer.

Back in early November, British discount retailer TK Maxx launched a surprising offering. In their ad, a family has gathered around a piano to do some caroling. But instead of singing, they do an eerie scat version of Dick Dale's Misirlou — better known as the opening music from the Quentin Tarantino film Pulp Fiction.

The ad ends with the words, "Christmas is best when it's more surprising," and the logo for TK Maxx.

Not to be outdone, on Nov. 4 of this year, the U.K. department store Argos launched its holiday ad.

To a jingle based on music from the animated feature The Nightmare Before Christmas, we see rainbow-coloured yetis skating down the High Street. They're carrying toys and small electronics, which they deliver to various addresses.

It's uncertain whether U.K. viewers see such holiday ads as a welcome change of pace or hallucinations. But they certainly get a lot of them.

Like the head-scratcher of an ad from the housewares retailer Robert Dyas, which ran around during the 2015 Christmas season. In it, various clerks and customers introduce themselves by name and their sexual orientation, for no apparent reason.

You're not alone if you're puzzled. U.K. ad commentators struggled to find a connection between sexual orientation and housewares.

But sometimes weirdness is the whole point, with brands trying anything to stand out from the crowd. That can extend to usually conservative brands like Mercedes Benz. In 2015, they introduced a concept car featuring "elf driving."

Yes, an elf-driven Mercedes — where all you do is sit in the back and relax.

Even here in Canada, Christmas commercials occasionally dip into the unexpected.

Last year, we saw ads for the Skittles Pawn Shop in Toronto. The shop really did exist, and it welcomed people to come in and trade unwanted gifts for Skittles during the week following Christmas.

Back in the U.K., the department store John Lewis releases a hotly anticipated Christmas ad each year. And this year, the supermarket Aldi used its new animated "spokesvegetable," Kevin the Carrot, to poke fun at John Lewis' grandiosity.

In the animated commercial, Kevin sits in a cozy armchair, eagerly anticipating the John Lewis ad.

Overcome, he ends up hyperventilating and has to breathe into a paper bag.

The 2016 John Lewis ad is almost equally silly, featuring a boxer dog who just wants to jump on a trampoline. 

In an unexpected consequence, according to the Mirror, the ad has resulted in increased consumer demand for boxer puppies.

By being silly, funny or simply entertaining, brands like these not only sell more products — they add a little unfamiliar sparkle to holiday viewing.

Bruce Chambers is a syndicated advertising columnist for CBC Radio.