Tear-Jerking Holiday Advertisements

Dick's Sporting Goods' Festive Ad Features a Real Family

The holiday advertisement released by Dick's Sporting Goods puts its focus on families.

The commercial was meant to evoke a sense of comfort and family values, going so far as to enlist the help of a real family instead of actors. The holiday advertisement follows a family as they celebrate the holidays, with its patriarch describing his career as a coach and mentor. After unwrapping his gift to find a tiny pair of Adidas sneakers, the subject learns that he will soon be a grandfather. The touching commercial is intimate, personal and focuses on family values, making it relatable to most viewers. The subtle addition of Adidas sneakers ensures that the viewer knows that the commercial is for a sporting store, while keeping its spotlight more sentimental.

By not focusing on consumption as its main theme, Dick's Sporting Goods' familial advertisement relates to its target demographic in an authentic and approachable way.

Family-focused Advertisements
Businesses can capitalize on the trend of creating ads that emphasize family values and involve real families to connect with viewers on a personal level.
Emotional Advertising
There is an opportunity for businesses to create advertisements that prioritize eliciting emotional responses from viewers, rather than traditional product-focused messaging.
Non-product Focused Promotions
By creating advertisements that don't solely focus on product consumption, companies can appeal to viewers in an authentic and approachable way.

Who This Affects Most

Sports Retail Industry
Sports retailers can create emotional advertising campaigns that emphasize family values and use real families to connect with viewers on a personal level, like Dick's Sporting Goods' recent holiday advertisement.
Consumer Goods
Businesses within the consumer goods industry can capitalize on the trend of emotional advertising by prioritizing advertisements that elicit emotional responses from viewers rather than solely focusing on their products.
Marketing and Advertising
Within the marketing and advertising industry, there is an opportunity for companies to create non-product focused promotions that emphasize authenticity and approachability, as demonstrated by Dick's Sporting Goods' familial holiday advertisement.
SCORE
1.7 out of 10
GENDER
50% Men50% Women
MARKETTop markets: North America, Europe, Asia
GENERATION
  • Gen Z (primary audience)
  • Gen Alpha (primary audience)
  • Millennial (primary audience)
  • Gen X (primary audience)
POPULARITY
Popularity 21%
Activity 23%
Freshness 8%