When the Christmas ad casting goes bad - from Folgers siblings to Swiss Chalet

Adgrunt Evan Brown has his own substack for his fiction work, where he published The most memorable holiday commercial ever just the other day.

"I have watched it every year like people watch It’s a Wonderful Life because I still wonder at its true meaning. And I will never accept its face value story. It really is the gift that keeps on giving."

Which advert is that? It's the creepy girl & Dad at Swiss Chalet ad. As Evan said: "This ad for a chain called Swiss Chalet is an incredible study in dysfunction. If this were an independent film, it would have won awards."

Another creepy Christmas classic is the Folgers "Home for Christmas" brother&sister ad.

A young man returns from the shores of West Africa, presumably doing a stint with the Peace Corps or similar. His sister greets him, and he remarks that she's grown so much he barely recognizes her. That's where it all gets a little odd. She is a little too old for this part. They dress so similarly it's somehow signaling that they are in the same stage of life. Note his skater-boy hat. The ages between the two make a regular sibling thing turn a little weird.

Why did big bro volunteer himself away to West Africa? What has happened here? Why is she sleeping in his old shirt? Why is the mother bolting out of bed yelping "he's here!" as if she needs to get the shotgun?

I can't explain, really, just watch it.

This ad above was actually a reference to Folgers "Peter is home for Cristmas" advert that was shot in 1986, then ran for over 17 years. Actor Greg Wrangler, who played Peter, was recognized for years by people who had seen the ad.

The art direction of this ad was deliberately timeless. There's a VW Bug that drops Peter off, a car that could have been made in 1978 or 1987. Mom & Dad are wearing classic robes. Peter wears a varsity jacket and classic knit sweater. The ad was so popular that Proctor and Gamble had to pat themselves on the back and award it "best commercial".

Amazing how different it can look when the other brother comes home for Christmas when you have the right casting and well-thought-out Art Direction, isn't it?