Christmas Bells (advertisement)
| "Christmas Bells" | |
|---|---|
 Scene from the advertisment | |
| Directed by | Carl Willat |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | The Hershey Company |
Release dates | 1989 |
Running time | 15 seconds |
| Country | United States |
"Christmas Bells" is an American television commercial produced by the Hershey Company promoting Hershey's Kisses. The advertisement, produced with stop-motion animation, features Hershey's Kisses, fashioned as a handbell choir, playing the Christmas carol "We Wish You a Merry Christmas". It first debuted in 1989 and is shown in the United States each holiday season; as such, it is the longest-running television commercial for the Hershey brand.[1]
Background
In 1989, the Hershey Company began an advertising campaign for their product Hershey's Kisses, which was referred to as the "whimsy" campaign. Ogilvy & Mather was the advertising agency behind the spot and David Apicella served as Creative Director. Television advertisements would utilize "tabletop stop-motion animation and CG product photography." Colossal Pictures was the animation studio, located in San Francisco, who produced the commercial. Carl Willat directed the spots and performed the stop-motion animation with Gordon Clark. John Dunn, Hershey's brands manager, oversaw the production and helped develop the last-minute idea to create the "Christmas Bells" advertisement.[1] Leah Longan, former marketing director for Hershey, told the New York Times in 1994 they continued to run the advertisement because they "don't wear out like normal commercials," as they only shown seasonally.[2]
References
- 1 2 "Ringing in the Holidays: Hershey's Kisses Chocolates". HersheyArchives.com. January 18, 2011. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
- ↑ Stuart Elliot (December 9, 1994). "THE MEDIA BUSINESS: Advertising; Perennial Holiday Messages Work". The New York Times. Retrieved November 18, 2016.