Given the requirements of the job, Santa has a tough time
delivering presents to hotels.
That’s the theme behind Airbnb’s new holiday ad, which positions the brand as the hero helping Old
Saint Nick avoid “Santastrophe” to deliver gifts on Christmas Eve. The animated ad, created by Airbnb’s in-house team, is set in a rhyming narration style in the vein of holiday staple
“A Visit from St. Nicholas,” while playing on the comical challenges Santa would face trying to navigate a seemingly “Santa-proof” hotel to deliver gifts.
The spot is
built around the idea that the holidays are better in an Airbnb, mixed with the childhood fear of Santa being unable to deliver presents due to logistical challenges. For the creative team, that idea
led to a long list of potential obstacles Father Christmas might face at a hotel. One early version apparently showed Santa trapped in an elevator as a child named Brian pressed the button for every
floor, prompting a move to the “naughty”…
