B-Reel Films' CEO on Xmas Comforts & Looking Ahead

Now that we’re coming to the end of the year, how would you describe 2016 for the industry, creatively speaking?

It was an in-between year. With all the hype around VR and Branded Entertainment, there’s still a big opportunity for brands to come in to change storytelling for advertising through these mediums.

Looking at the recent barrage of Christmas campaigns, why do you think Christmas ads have become such a big part of popular culture in recent years?

For many, Christmas is a time for family, and Christmas ads are a part of the nostalgia of childhood. Also, it’s maybe the only time of the year when you want to be told what to buy because buying gifts for Christmas is filled with a lot of anxiety.

A lot of people have argued that Christmas ads have become predictable; would you agree and do you think there’s a winning formula for festive commercials?

It’s all about the story, right? If you play on the emotions surrounding the more important parts of the holiday, like meeting or missing family and friends, that’s the winning formula. A lot of Christmas ads tug on those strings and the ones that do it right we see succeed year after year.

And what are your predictions for the industry in general next year?

I hope we’ll see a change. I predict we will see more brands becoming content creators – making good, entertaining content. Brands have the potential to become the broadcasters of the future.

Which campaign or piece of work will you remember from this year?

The Under Armour ad with Michael Phelps entitled Rule Yourself. One of the best sports spots I’ve ever seen.

And, with regards the Christmas spots, give us your top three out of this year’s bunch and a sentence about why you like them

The M&S spot has flawless storytelling, performance and one of the best cast I’ve seen for a Christmas spot. You almost feel like this is the trailer to a feature.

If you had a piece of advice for the creative industry to take from 2016 into next year, what would that be?

There are a lot of tremendously smart and brilliant creative people in the industry. I think it’s time we all start to become more uncomfortable again and take more risks. We need to create an environment where takings risks is more celebrated, and not feared. We need to learn from the tech world, and I do think that it will happen naturally.