# Festive Mascot Ads Toys 'R' Us' Ad for Christmas Introduces "Geoffrey the Part-Time Reindeer" By Laura McQuarrie | Published 2017-11-06 | Life-Stages Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ad-for-christmas References: [toyworldmag](http://toyworldmag.co.uk/news/toys-r-us-unveils-new-christmas-tv-ad/) & [toysrus](http://www.toysrus.co.uk) Toys 'R' Us decided to try a different approach with its ad for Christmas this year, which introduces 'Geoffrey the Part Time Reindeer' in a short animated commercial, rather than showing the usual scenes of families arriving at the retail toy store by car. In the story-driven 30-second ad, viewers are introduced to the retailer's mascot in a modern format; the 3D Geoffrey giraffe character welcomes Santa to Toys 'R' Us, loads the sleigh and takes the place of Santa's reindeer, who are preoccupied with the many toys to be played with. Although the commercial embraces animated graphics and a fresh new approach, it is set to the familiar tune of the Magical Place theme song. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 1.0/10 - Popularity: 7% | Activity: 14% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Gen Alpha - Top markets: Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Life-Stages](https://www.trendhunter.com/life-stages) > [Youth](https://www.trendhunter.com/youth) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Story-driven Ads:** Creating animated commercials with compelling storylines can engage viewers and make ads more memorable. - **Modernized Mascots:** Updating and modernizing mascots can breathe new life into a brand and appeal to a younger audience. - **Unconventional Advertising Formats:** Exploring new and unconventional advertising formats can help brands stand out and capture consumer attention. ### Who This Affects Most - **Retail:** Retailers can leverage the power of story-driven ads and modernized mascots to boost sales and connect with customers. - **Advertising:** The advertising industry can embrace unconventional formats to create innovative and engaging campaigns for their clients. - **Entertainment:** The entertainment industry can explore partnerships with brands to create animated content that entertains and promotes products simultaneously. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Mascot NFT Collections](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/nft-collections.md) - [Comedic Christmas Parodies](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/reinfell-ad.md) - [Charming Christmas Advertisements](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sainsburys-christmas-ad.md) - [Play-Inspired Global Holiday Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/play-day.md) - [Rental App Holiday Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/santastrophe.md) - [Heartwarming Holiday Car Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/nbcuniversals-primetime-specials.md) - [GenAI Brand Films](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-origin-of-toysrus.md) - [Toy-Inspired Postal Service Partnerships](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/operation-santa-program.md) - [Iconic Toy Retailer Expansions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/toysrus-canada.md)