Top of the PR Pops: November

'Twas the month before Christmas and all of the brands 

had sparkly campaigns and 2016 plans!

From Lidl to Mattel and smaller names in the game, here are some of the things that have got us talking over the last month...

Lidl: Parodying John Lewis

Just days after John Lewis' highly anticipated Christmas campaign, Lidl parodied the ad - and it did make us chuckle.

The core premise is much the same, with an elderly man defying the laws of science by living on the moon, only this time the chap is visited by a woman in a plush armchair, rather than a parcel from Earth.

What the John Lewis advert may have lacked in product placement, Aldi sure as heck made up for with a blatant price comparison of telescopes!

Watch the advert and smile:

Mattel: Barbie's For Boys Too

Since the birth of Barbie back in 1959, we've got used to adverts showing ponytailed & pink-clad girls parading their dolls around. Because Barbie was a toy marketed to girls, while Action Man's for the boys. Right? Well not any more (hurrah!)...

Mattel has FINALLY rolled out an advert of a young boy playing with Moschino Barbie. The ad beautifully and successfully challenges the gender stereotyping of toys that dictates that dolls are for girls and action heroes are for boys. And about time too!

Watch the advert here:

Cadbury: Multi-Channel Christmas Calendar

We love chocolate. We love multi-channel campaigns. We love this.

Cadbury has launched a real-life advent calendar as part of its Christmas campaign, pushing both above the line and experimental activity to engage with consumers.

The multi-channel campaign follows Cadbury's warehouse workers loading-up their branded trucks in preparation for Christmas deliveries - or in the words of the chocolate Gods themselves, "to deliver joy across the nation". 

“Like an advent calendar it’s a new surprise every day. We also won’t be announcing the route plan or location in advance. This is not a sampling campaign and not a traditional experiential event. It’s very much new to us,” says Steven Chick, Mondelez brand manager.

The brand will be taking content from each of the events and streaming it on social, digital out of home and other platforms.

Now if only they had a #BrandNewsroom to help push out content from one place....hint hint!

Star Wars: A Long Time Ago On Google

Star Wars fans - Google "A long time ago in a galaxy far far away" and prepare to lose a few minutes of your day, because Star Wars fever has well and truly hit the SERPs. 

Following on their Light of Dark Side browser tool kit, Google has now created a special treat for fans of the sci-fi franchise. 

When users type in the aforementioned search terms, Google's results are displayed in the style of Star Wars' credits. Even if you're not a fan, go ahead and feel the force!