5 FOOH Christmas Ads You Have to See

Christmas ads are nothing new. The festive season presents an excellent opportunity for businesses to reach an audience that’s already ready to spend on presents and various services. But with an increasingly crowded advertising space, marketing to your audience online has become more challenging than ever. This is where Fake Out of Home or FOOH Christmas Ads come to the rescue.

Fake Out of Home, or FOOH, is a relatively new advertising innovation that has gained popularity due to its unique and fresh approach in captivating an online audience. These ads, also sometimes referred to as CGI advertising or manipulated reality advertising, integrate real-life video footage of known places or landmarks with lifelike elements of 3D computer generated imagery.

The result? A 10 to 15 second hyperrealistic video on social media that makes people stop scrolling and do a double-take, asking themselves, “Is this real?”

While traditional Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising is limited to physical spaces, FOOH expands these boundaries, offering more diverse opportunities to generate visibility, especially on social media platforms. And with audiences and potential customers doing all their holiday shopping online now more than ever, Christmas FOOH ads, when done right, provide a way for brands and marketers to stand out in front of a crowd that’s already experiencing ad fatigue during this festive season.

Want to know more about Fake Out of Home? Here’s everything you need to know about FOOH.

5 Examples of FOOH Christmas Ads You Have to See in 2024

FOOH Christmas Ads have become an increasingly popular option for advertisers and marketers in recent holidays. And for good reason. These ads combine the best of both worlds in real-world environments and CGI and create jaw-dropping content that is simply hard to ignore. FOOH Christmas ads stand out in a crowded holiday marketing space by offering something new and memorable.

Here are five FOOH Christmas ads that showcase the power of this innovative format:

1. Coca-Cola Christmas Truck

This fun FOOH Christmas ad for Coca-Cola is shot at the Forum shopping center in Helsinki, which opens with a massive red drape featuring the Coca-Cola logo hanging from the building. The drape is parted by a giant Santa inside the building, surprising two onlookers on the street. Santa pulls a red Coca-Cola truck from a grand fireplace inside the Forum and places it on the street, where it drives in front of the screen, lit up and with a Santa figure on it.

This FOOH Christmas ad is a clear stand out for its bigger-than-life, literally, moments captured in just seconds, seamlessly blending an already familiar place with Christmas elements using CGI for a truly magical feel. The ad was a massive hit, earning over 11 million views, 525k likes, 5k comments, and 63k shares on Instagram, with one user commenting “Best holiday commercial ever.”

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2. Allianz Tower Christmas Tree

This FOOH Christmas ad takes holiday spirit to towering heights, literally. Allianz transforms the Allianz Tower in Milan into a giant Christmas tree, complete with oversized blue ornaments, candy canes, gift boxes, and festive balls, all topped off with a golden bell and a red ribbon along the side of the building.

But the real showstopper comes when a helicopter swoops in to place a massive Santa hat on the tower, giving it the ultimate holiday tree makeover. This ad is simple yet creative, turning a landmark into a larger-than-life version of the way we decorate our own homes for the season. It’s festive, fun, and impossible to miss.

3. Samsung ‘SmartThings’ Christmas Tree

This next FOOH Christmas ad for Samsung brings holiday magic to the heart of Paris. It begins with a shot of a woman on a boat cruising along the Seine River at night, with the iconic Eiffel Tower as the backdrop. After tapping the SmartThings app in her phone, the tower lights up. Seconds later, a gigantic and glowing Santa Claus appears to climb the tower and a glowing “Merry Christmas” sign.

The ad ends with a realistic demonstration of using the app, turning on the lights of a Christmas tree in the living room. This FOOH Christmas ad is a fantastic example of clever storytelling and practical product demonstration, capturing the holiday spirit while still highlighting a brand’s unique product.

4. Primark Christmas Balls

Next on our list, this Christmas FOOH ad for Primark is full of festive fun. It shows a giant upside-down paper bag on top of a Primark store. As the bag floats away, it reveals a pile of shiny red Christmas balls, with one saying, “It’s here.” The ball then bounces off the store and onto the street below.

This FOOH ad used big and bold Christmas imagery, like red shiny balls, to quickly grab attention and spark curiosity in an online audience. As a result, this clever execution drove more eyes and attention to Primark’s Christmas collection, earning over 9 million views and 196k likes on Instagram.

5. DM Market Christmas Tree Detergent

This Christmas FOOH ad for DM Market turns a giant detergent soap bottle into a glowing Christmas tree, complete with a bright star on top and sparkling lights all around. It’s set to an instrumental version of “Deck the Halls,” which makes it feel super festive.

The bottle is surrounded by colorful presents and placed in front of a building, making it look like it’s part of a holiday scene. This FOOH ad is a fun and creative example of giving a Christmas twist to something you’d never think of as festive – dish soap!

Bonus: Maybelline New York for New Year’s Eve

And since we’re on the topic of inspiring holiday FOOH campaigns, let’s take a moment to highlight this eye-catching New Year’s Eve ad from Maybelline New York that showcases the power of bold visuals and festive spirit.

In this special holiday FOOH ad, Maybelline transforms the iconic Times Square countdown into a glamorous spectacle. A giant Great Lash mascara, in pink and green, stands tall in the square, drawing all eyes to it. As the final seconds tick down, the mascara cap, with its brush, descends slowly in the tube, mimicking the famous ball drop. When the clock strikes midnight, pink and green fireworks matching the mascara’s signature colors light up the sky, celebrating the arrival of 2024 and Maybelline’s newest products.

While not a Christmas FOOH ad, this is still a fantastic example of how to use larger-than-life visuals and holiday traditions to make a brand unforgettable. The innovative approach of this Maybelline CGI ad resonated powerfully with audiences, earning over 66,000 likes, making it one of the most celebrated ads on Maybelline’s Instagram profile of last year.

4 Essential Tips to Making Effective FOOH Christmas Ads

A good FOOH Christmas ad isn’t born; it’s created with thoughtful planning and a touch of holiday magic. From writing a compelling storyline to integrating technology seamlessly, every detail matters. Here are four essential tips to help you craft a memorable FOOH Christmas ad:

1. Pay attention to the storytelling

It doesn’t matter how impressive your CGI elements are, how iconic your location is or how seamless these two blend into each other, if your storytelling doesn’t connect with your audience, your FOOH ad won’t stick. A good storyline can fit into a 10-second video without losing the brand’s message and tone.

Crafting a good storyline is about capturing attention in the first few seconds and leaving a lasting impression, all while conveying what your brand stands for. Keep it simple and engaging, so your message sticks with viewers long after the ad is over.

2. Integrate interactive elements into your ad

Creating a FOOH Christmas ad means bringing the real world and CGI together in a way that feels natural. This could be as simple as having CGI elements interact with real people or objects in your video footage.

For example, imagine a giant Santa waving at people or handing a gift to someone on the street. It makes everything feel magical and surprising. When CGI and real life mix like that, the ad becomes more fun and grabs your audience’s attention, making them feel like they’re actually part of the holiday action.

3. Blend everything seamlessly

Once you’ve got your storytelling and interactive elements down, the next step is making sure everything blends together smoothly. The CGI elements and the real-life footage should all feel like it belongs in the same scene.

You don’t want the audience to pause and comment, “Hmm, something looks weird.” The goal is for everything to come together so seamlessly that they’re just impressed, not wondering what’s real or fake. The shock factor and the hyperrealism should make them believe in the magic, not question it. When the CGI feels like it’s truly part of the environment, that’s when you know you’ve nailed it. It’s all about creating that “wow”-moment without pulling them out of the experience.

4. Use social media to amplify your ad’s impact

Making a successful FOOH Christmas ad campaign doesn’t stop once your ad is out there. These ads live on social media, so knowing how to utilize social media tools to boost its reach and make sure it catches the eyes of as many people as possible is crucial. You should have a strong hook to grab your audience’s attention right away in the first few seconds, especially in a space where people scroll quickly. Additionally, ensure that the ad’s format and messaging are optimized for each social platform to enhance engagement and effectiveness.

The more engaging and shareable your FOOH ad is, the more likely it is to be amplified. Whether it’s through a cool visual, clever caption, or a strong call to action, getting your ad in front of a wider audience can be a game-changer. Don’t just rely on the Christmas FOOH ad itself, use social media tools like hashtags or incorporate trending topics into your storyline, to draw even more attention to your campaign.

FOOH Christmas Ads: The Future of Holiday Marketing

FOOH Christmas ads are revolutionizing holiday marketing in 2024. As more and more shoppers go online, this new-age technology helps brands stand out amongst the sea of seasonal ads. FOOH ads provide a fresh way to connect with audiences by combining creativity and technology to deliver captivating, larger-than-life experiences.

Whether it’s through clever storytelling, interactive elements, or seamless integration with the real world, FOOH Christmas ads leave a lasting impression, making brands unforgettable during the busiest shopping season of the year.

Curious about even more advantages of Fake Out of Home advertising and how it can elevate your marketing strategy for 2025? Check out our blog on why you should consider FOOH advertising.