He christmas advertisement from El Almendro has proposed a special secret service to facilitate the return home for the holidays. It is the story with which the nougat brand has updated its emblematic “Come home for Christmas”, with which it has connected with the Spanish people for years. It has been designed by the creative agency McCannproduced by Craft and Lee Films.

From reason.Why We were present at the filming of the spot to see first-hand how this narrative was shaped. And we have collected the process behind the cameras in the production of a Making Of which reflects this evolution in El Almendro’s communication, showing a part of the advertising creativity that is usually not seen and chatting with the protagonists of the agency and client:

The filming of the Christmas advertisement for El Almendro took place in the month of October and It took place in two days in Madridd, in the neighborhoods of Mirasierra and Montecarmelo, and in Ávila. The recording took place both in real locations both indoors and outdoors, and involved the deployment of a technical and artistic team of dozens of professionals.

The spot reflects three situations: that of a young man who wants to take a plane to see his family; that of a family in a traffic jam; and that of some workers whose machinery breaks down. For the airport scene, some check-in counters were recreated; in the same way that the set for the special service was also created; while real locations were used for the house and warehouse.

It was, as we could see, a fluid and agile recording process, due to the work carried out during the pre-production phase. The two intense days of filming were carried out as established and adhered to the script, shooting board and to the shooting plan, addressing the challenges of tight timing.
It is worth highlighting the good tune of all team members and departments, as well as the atmosphere of professionalism and dedication at all times.

The staging Work has been done to convey feelings of warmth and intimacy and emphasize the message of reunion for Christmas. Thus, the spot shows medium and short shots, as well as a realistic setting and aesthetic that reinforces the idea of ​​everyday life and the presence of El Almendro in consumers’ homes.

Return another way

During filming we had the opportunity to speak with María Herranz, Marketing Director at Grupo Delaviuda, who told us about the importance of the Christmas announcement for El Almendro. “For us it is a great responsibility because it is the most exciting time of the year for many families, and it marks the kick off of a key moment for the company.”, he explained in conversations with reason.Why.

For his part, Vito Reig, Executive Creative Director at Mccann, told us that the agency’s objective has been to evolve the message of El Almendro, make it more contemporary so that it resonates with current society and new generations. “The ambition was to give it a twist. We saw that now returning home for Christmas, for multiple reasons, is not so easy. Starting from that truth we decided to tell that return in another way”, he expressed.

From the agency they point out that working for El Almendro is very exciting. “It means connecting with an emblematic brand, not only as an advertiser, but also as a consumer.s”, Lucía Angulo, CEO of McCann Worldgroup Spain, told us. “It is a local brand, with very recognizable assets and great memories. Working on his resignification has been a challenge, but exciting.”.

This is the “RETURN” ad from El Almendro:

Technical sheet

• Campaign: Christmas “RETURN”
• Advertiser: Delaviuda
  • Client contact: María Herranz, Rocío Martín
• Agency: McCann Worldgroup
  • Global Creative Partner, Global Brands: Emiliano González De Pietri
  • Executive Creative Director: Vito Reig
  • Creative Director: Ricardo Rovira
  • Art director:: Aitor García
  • Art director: Alba Fernández
  • Editor: Marta Fuentes
  • Strategy Director: Marcelle Santos
  • Strategy Planner: Alvaro Díez
  • Group Account Director: Eduardo Pajuelo
  • Account Director: Mabel Esteban
  • Account Executive: Celia Gómez-Angulo.
  • Communications Director: Nora Caverzaschi
• Production & Postproduction Agency: Craft
  • Chief Production Officer Craft Spain: Paloma Adrien
  • Director of Audiovisual Production: María Iglesias
  • Executive Producer: Carlos Lucas
  • Craft Postproduction Director: Vanessa Pizarro
  • Postproduction Coordinator: Marcela Arismendy
• Production company: Lee Films
  • Director: Anita García Rico
  • Executive Producer: Iván Fernández
  • Director of Photography: Alberto Bañares
  • Producer: Alfonso Cuadra
  • Art Director: Adakarina Acosta
  • Stylist: Antonio Romero
  • Editor: Bernat Gil
  • Color: Marc Morato
• Sound Studio: Craft
• Music: Chaco Music
• Media Agency: Mediaworks
  • Media Strategy Director: Sandra Diego
  • Trading Director Off & Online: Joan Carles Isern
  • Senior Media Planner: Judith Rubio Pérez
• PR Agency: Atrevia
  • Project Manager: Lidia Bravo
• Social Media Agency: Havas
  • Account Director: Ana Maria Pozuelo
  • Social Media Strategist: Anais Herrero
  • Social Media Specialist: Victor Santos