Gay santa claus
A few years advocate we had Mrs Claus making a memorable appearance in Y&R’s last ad for Marks & Spencer, now Norwegian postal service Posten has unveiled another side to the old boy’s personal life in ‘When Harry Met Santa,’ – he’s gay.
From Oslo agency Pol.
Posten marketing director Monica Solberg says: “It has been a dark year for everyone – A global pandemic, code red for our planet, refugee crisis and more. Perhaps what we need this year is a heated and heartfelt care for story? A celebration of the proof that we can love whomever we want in Norway, despite everything terrible that happens around the world.”
From Oslo agency Pol.
50 years since homosexuality was decriminalised in Norway apparently.
MAA creative scale: 7 (brave but a bit treacly?)
Back in November 2015, the production Carol (starring Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett) was released and millions of gay people everywhere fell in love with this very gay, Christmas movie. Swift forward to November 2021, and now I genuinely think that Norway’s gay Santa advert may just top it for me.
When Harry Met Santa is an advertisement for Posten, the Norwegian postal service, who is using the giving and spiritual period of Christmas to not only show a side of Santa Claus you’ve not seen before, but to celebrate 50 years of Norway decriminalizing homosexuality.
Norway’s choice of expressing this through an advert depicting Santa as gay may seem like an odd choice on the surface, especially if you just notice it solely as a way to for organizations and companies to use Christmas in decree to appeal to viewers, but I personally feel that the short film is more real and kind than that.
If you haven’t watched the advert yet, let me give you a quick summary: we convene Harry, an older gentleman who goes downstairs one night on Christmas Eve to discover that Santa Claus is in his living room. Santa rushes off back up the chimney as Harry looks on. It’s
Gay Santa ad highlights big shift in Norwegian society
Nordic affairs journalist
Christmas ads have become an annual tradition, often appearing as mini-films with their control festive story. But one Norwegian commercial, featuring Father Christmas kissing a guy waiting for him at home on Christmas Eve, has become a surprise hit.
In When Harry meets Santa, the four-minute ad by Norway's state-run Posten postal service, the man is seen writing Father Christmas a letter to the North Pole with the message: "All I desire for Christmas is you." And he gets his wish.
"We wanted to rejoice the 50-year anniversary since the abolition of a rule prohibiting same-sex relationships," says Monica Solberg, Posten's marketing director. The ad has been watched successfully over two million times online.
"The magnitude of response took us a bit by surprise. We expected a reaction, but not to such an extent."
The ad raised few eyebrows in Norway or in neighbouring Nordic countries, but it has prompted some discussion beyond. As good as praise there has been criticism, with claims that it sexualised Father Christmas or that it showed Santa
Santa Claus is gay in new Norwegian ad
It is a relationship that developed over the years, where the protagonists meet only every Christmas Eve and very briefly at that, as one of them always has to rush off to work.
In "When Harry met Santa..." — a nod to the 1989 romantic comedy "When Harry met Sally..." starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan — a romance blossoms between a man called Harry and Santa Claus.
This year's Christmas campaign by Norway's state-owned postal service, Posten, aims not only to mark the 50th anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality in Norway but also underscores Posten's pledge to a diverse workplace.
In the nearly four-minute ad, Harry bumps into Santa Claus delivering gifts to his home one year. They lock eyes and there is an immediate attraction.
A bond grows between the two over several Christmases, but their encounters are always fleeting, as Santa has a tight deadline to deliver gifts. That is, until he enlists Posten's services to support with the deliveries, disappearing the two more second together, so they can finally kiss in the last scene.
The spot ends with the message: "In 2022, it will have been 5