State Farm is running “Don’t You (Forget About Me)”, a commercial featuring the 1985 Simple Minds hit in the context of a soup kitchen, supporting the insurance company’s Neighborhood of Good movement. The holidays are a popular time to get involved and give back, but when the decorations come down and the season of giving ends, there are still people in need in the community. The commercial reminds viewers that the season of giving never ends, and highlights the importance of giving back regardless of the time of the year. In one seamless camera movement, the creative tells a story that emphasises the need for volunteers year-round.

BBC One’s Christmas 2017 campaign featured an animated short film, “The Supporting Act”, illustrating the joy of a shared moment. The 2 minute film follows a 10-year-old girl who practices day in and day out to give the most important dance performance of her life. Her dad is always with her but he’s busy, and getting even busier as Christmas approaches. He remains distracted up until the moment that really matters, when father and daughter come together in a wonderful moment of ‘oneness’. The film will be accompanied by four idents and a range of digital assets that will continue the theme at other times during the day. The Supporting Act builds on the idea of ‘oneness’ that the channel has been focussing on throughout 2017. Since the start of the year BBC One has showcased idents created by photographer Martin Parr highlighting the interests and passions that bring people together.

Breast Cancer Now – the UK’s largest breast cancer charity, is running “Time Machine”, a commercial raising awareness of a goal of defeating breast cancer by 2050. The Time Machine commercial follows a young girl on a secret mission – the purpose of which isn’t revealed to the viewer until the very end. Over a series of days, we see the tiny trooper determinedly studying complex science textbooks, watching quantum theory videos, and raiding the house for objects to use in her special project. In the final reveal, the girl wakes up her mother, who has breast cancer – and leads her inside a ‘time machine’ that she has made from cardboard and household items. As mother and daughter sit in the makeshift machine together, the girl turns the dial from 2017 to 2050. The film closes with Breast Cancer Now’s aim that by 2050, everyone who develops breast cancer will live. The message of the film is that for some, including the family portrayed in this film, the year 2050, can’t come soon enough. The YouTube video links viewers to the Breast Cancer Now page Our Time is Now.

Brazilian bank Itaú Unibanco is running a commercial, “I Am The Future” (Eu sou o futuro), designed to inspire proactive engagement with the future. Narrated by Brazilian actress Fernanda Montenegro, the film discusses how people’s actions in the present can influence everyone’s future. Themes such as love, fear, uncertainty, truth, happiness, peace, differences and hope convey the contemplative tone of the message. “I am the future” is the third in a trilogy of films marking the end of the year and the beginning of a new year. The 2015 film talked about human relations with the world’s digitalization. In 2016 the focus was on how to enjoy the digital world’s wonders to live more and enjoy more each moment without pursuing lost time. In this last commercial the theme relates to giving too much thought about the future and neglecting the present. It shows that future is uncertain, it is scary, but we are the ones who can create our best destiny. If we want more love and happiness, we need to love more and be happier now because our future depends on us. “Nós não estamos nas mãos do futuro. O futuro é que está em nossas mãos.” (We are not in the hands of the future. The future is in our hands.) The film was shot in Uruguay, on location in Montevideo, Punta Ballena and Cabo Polônio.

ExxonMobil Europe is connecting into the Christmas season with “Esso Reindeer Princess”, an online film set in Norway. The commercial explores the story of Anne, a young woman who has found her place in the Sámi tradition of reindeer racing. Growing up in her local community she felt as though she didn’t fit. However she has gained acceptance after becoming the world’s number-one reindeer racer. Running online and on social media across European markets, the campaign aims to show the difference an Esso station can make in remote communities. Amid the snowscape, we see footage of an Esso service station providing a beacon of light and connection to the outside world for the people who live in this remote place. “The Reindeers saved me”.