MANILA, PHILIPPINES – November 2025 served as the official creative starting gun for the holiday season, delivering a diverse, global collection of campaigns centered not just on products, but on the profound, evolving meaning of connection itself.
Various brands across continents are embracing the season with fresh creative courage, including the blending nostalgia of reinvention, tradition with technology, and cultural truth with emotional resonance.
This month, adobo Magazine puts the spotlight on how brands are brilliantly translating universal holiday themes such as family, giving, and joy through hyper-local lenses, proving that the greatest seasonal advertising today focuses on authentic cultural reflection, the power of nostalgia, and the crucial role brands play in keeping us seamlessly connected.
From global Christmas celebrations to the Philippines’ unshakeable festive spirit, November delivered creative stories that reminded us that joy isn’t just a theme, but also a universal language. Hence, the best stories don’t just sell festivities; they also honor the people who make them meaningful.
Coles, Smith St launches festive 2025 campaign showcasing Australia’s unique Christmas traditions (Australia)
Coles launched its festive campaign celebrating that it is the destination for “every kind of Christmas.” Far from the traditional snow-dusted settings of global holiday advertising, this campaign, crafted by Smith St spotlighted unique Australian Christmas traditions, including laid-back backyard barbecues, casual “Friendsmas” gatherings, and cozy family lunches. It’s also a celebration that feels vibrant, local, and unmistakably Coles — rooted in the retailer’s long-standing place in Australian households.
The narrative is driven by an adorable basset hound, decked out in festive antlers, on a quest for mouth-watering Christmas treats. By showcasing a wide array of affordable, high-quality festive food, Coles cemented its role as the inclusive provider for diverse Aussie celebrations — proving that whether the setting is formal or casual, the joy of food remains the centerpiece.
Ultimately, the campaign joyfully reminds us that Christmas doesn’t need cold weather to feel magical. It just needs good food and the people who make every gathering matter.
Vice Ganda, Kim Chiu, and Jose Mari Chan join forces for Shopee’s 10th Christmas celebration (Philippines)
Shopee’s 10th Christmas campaign is a love letter to the Filipino holiday psyche: loud, lively, musical, and irresistibly communal.
Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and Brazil, is set to make its year-end festivities its biggest yet as it celebrates its tenth year of online holiday cheer. The celebration brought together a dazzling trio of Philippine stars such as Vice Ganda, Kim Chiu, and the Father of Philippine Christmas Music, Jose Mari Chan.
This reunion brings back the jingles, punchlines, and countdowns that kicked off the holiday rush — the moments that helped turn Shopee into a modern Christmas tradition where each of Shopee’s ambassadors has left a unique mark on the platform’s journey.
Essentially, the campaign doesn’t just celebrate a milestone year for Shopee; it also underscored how the platform has become intertwined with Filipino gift-giving, shopping habits, and the extended “ber months” tradition while embedding the brand as a cornerstone of modern Pinoy Christmas tradition.
EE showcases the power of seamless connectivity in its first holiday campaign (United Kingdom)
EE, the UK’s best network, has launched its first Christmas campaign, “Hosting & Guesting.” Created by Publicis Groupe UK’s cross agency team, the fully integrated campaign explores being a host and a guest at Christmas.
In this campaign, EE zeroes in on what connectivity truly means — not just stronger signals, but also stronger relationships. Set in London, the film follows families and friends weaving through busy schedules, distance, and holiday rush. Through its subtle, cinematic lens, EE demonstrates how the simplest technological touchpoint can spark togetherness in the moments that count most.
Likewise, the campaign elevates connectivity from a technical utility to a profound emotional tool, reinforcing that EE helps ensure that nothing breaks the connection of joy — not even distance or difference.
Jollibee’s double dose of Filipino Christmas (Philippines)
Jollibee dominated the Filipino holiday conversation with two campaigns that resonated deeply with the national experience, blending heartfelt storytelling with accessible treats.
One of which is its heartfelt thematic film, Buo ang Saya ng Pasko (The Joy of Christmas is Complete), created by Forsman & Bodenfors Singapore bravely celebrating the evolution of what family means in the Philippines today.
Recognizing the modern realities of OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers), night-shift workers, and chosen families, the film showed diverse celebrations: hospital staff sharing a meal; co-workers laughing; pet-owners treating their animals as kin; and multi-generational reunions. The campaign successfully positioned Jollibee as not just part of the traditional Noche Buena, but also as the constant element of joy that binds all forms of family — proving that true happiness endures no matter who you celebrate with.
For foodies, Jollibee launched its Christmas Treats lineup, headlined by the indulgent Rocky Road Sundae with KitKat with a mission to actively “restore Filipino Christmas joy.”
Acknowledging that economic pressure has dimmed the festive spirit in recent years, the campaign offered an accessible, mood-boosting solution: “Holiday Joy in Every Cup!” This strategy demonstrated acute market empathy, positioning the brand’s desserts as an affordable antidote to stress. It also ensured that the warmth and sweetness of the Filipino Christmas spirit is within reach for everyone.
At heart, these campaigns reinforced Jollibee as both the emotional storyteller and culinary companion of the season.
BBDO Bangkok, BBDO Guerrero unite for Heinz’s landmark holiday story (Thailand/Philippines)
In a stellar display of regional creative collaboration, BBDO Bangkok and BBDO Guerrero joined forces to produce Heinz’s first unified Southeast Asian holiday campaign, “It’s Heinz Season” which launched simultaneously in Thailand and the Philippines.
Built on the shared cultural insight that Southeast Asian food lovers refuse to settle for anything less than authentic taste, the film depicts a Filipino family gathered for Christmas dinner, holding hands in silence after grace. The tension builds as they seemingly wait for a missing family member, only for the mother to retrieve the true object of their desire from her arriving son’s bag: a bottle of Heinz Ketchup. This masterful twist reinforces the brand’s irreplaceable status, demonstrating that for some, the celebration truly doesn’t begin until the distinctive taste of Heinz arrives.
Fundamentally, the campaign reimagines how a humble bottle of ketchup can play a pivotal role in holiday bonding. It also showcased creativity that travels seamlessly across cultures, proving that great holiday stories can be both culturally specific and universally delightful.
Uber debuts emotional holiday film ‘Close’ with Mother, MJZ (Global)
At a time of year when families are coming together and putting their differences aside, a new film from Uber, in collaboration with Mother, highlights how reliable the service can be — especially in the suburbs, where dependable transportation can make all the difference. As a result, it becomes the perfect moment to reflect on the ways our loved ones have always shown up for us during the holidays.
“Close,” directed by Michael Spiccia of MJZ, follows a young woman, waiting just minutes for her Uber at the airport before heading to see her father for the holidays. Through the window of her ride, the familiar streets of her suburban hometown have her reminiscing on her relationship with her father, and the years she spent growing up there. As she draws closer, it becomes clear that their last encounter ended in hurt, and this trip means far more to her than simply coming home for the holiday.
The storytelling is restrained yet powerful, painting a portrait of modern mobility not as convenience, but as connection. The film also added a reflective counterpoint to the month’s festive noise, uplifted through its cinematic feature and beautifully human-crafted story.
Publicis Conseil, Orange deliver a playful holiday campaign (France)
Through this campaign, Orange and Publicis Conseil inject humor and creativity into the season with a playful project that blends clever storytelling, visual charm, and lighthearted mischief. Rather than leaning into sentimentality, the film embraces festive fun while reminding audiences that joy can also be mischievous, witty, and wonderfully unexpected.
The film uses an offbeat, humorous approach, featuring an ever-present, reassuring Orange advisor who pops up in moments of festive doubt and worry. Through this, Orange aims to bring a smile to people across France while offering a fair and relevant perspective on the worries that come with the holiday season. Above all, it reaffirmed its position as a trusted brand that has always innovated to provide the solutions people need to fully enjoy everyday life.
Likewise, the one-minute and 39-second video offers a refreshing counterbalance to the month’s emotional heavyweights, showcasing how play can be its own powerful holiday language.
