Just a month ago in Mediaset They were finalizing their usual Christmas spot, with all the pomp and ceremony of these cases and their most brilliant presenters and faces as protagonists. But tragedy struck of the DANA and it changed everything.
“This Christmas spot began to be devised during the worst moments of DANA and naturally We assume that Mediaset had to contribute its grain of sand“explains Sandra Fernández, director of Communication and External Relations at Mediaset.
Thus, it was spontaneously decided to completely reorient the campaign and in just 30 days a new institutional advertisement was devised, developed and recorded that wanted to “highlight two fundamental things after that tragedy: the value of solidarity and the role of young people, of a generation that is accused of always being in the networks and who were the first to pick up a broom and go help.
However, the Mediaset advertisement, which premiered tonight in simulcast In its 7 channels, it does not talk about DANA. At least, not explicitly: It is an emotional metaphor of solidarity in the face of disaster. Without morbidity, without explicit references, the message penetrates and reorients the spotlight towards those who helped in the worst days after the disaster.
In fact, as a curiosity, part of the figuration of the spot They are DANA volunteers, who were invited to participate. “There are no faces from the network because this year the protagonists were others, it was them. The Mediaset presenters will be delighted, because we are giving young people and volunteers recognition. The CEO accepted right away, it was kind of contagious. We are very satisfied with the decision we made,” adds Fernández.
The synopsis of the ad is as follows: the Christmas tree in a small town square catches fire and all its leaves and lights are charred, leaving only the bare branches. A young man decides to get going and places a light that he takes from his own house. Soon all the neighbors join together, contributing all kinds of things that illuminate, composing a multiform and supportive tree.
Under the slogan TOGETHER and with a narrative style based on magical realismthe story of the spot, which was filmed entirely in the Madrid town of Torrelaguna, conveys “truth and authenticity.”
“We went through many approaches to represent solidarity and closeness and to the young generation. There were many Christmas storiesbut we are left with the story of a single young man, who with his example, his attitude and his actions inspires an entire town. It’s somewhat metaphorical, but very graphic“explained Julio Alonso, creative director of the Chinese agency, LLYC, author of the advertisement.
Javier López Cuenllas, director of Mediaset España’s Antena, stressed that the protagonists and the background this year had to be something out of the ordinary. “We wanted to send a message of solidarity, generosity, unity… and a tribute to this crystal generation that has given us many lessons these days“he explained.
The director of the spot, Joana Colomar, had something personal in this frenetic effort that was to record the spot with such little time. “As a Valencian, it is the opportunity to value that precious thing that happens when the people come together. It is my way of contributing, something that had to be treated with great care and great respect. It is a story that is explained in a very beautiful, small, but shocking way,” he said.
Female talent awarded after the ‘spot’
Joana Colomar is a Valencian filmmaker specialized in advertising direction whose first video clip was nominated for Best International Pop Video Clip at the UKMVA 2012, along with MIA, Lana del Rey and Justice, and also nominated for the Young Directors Award of Cannes.
Daniela CajÃas, director of Photography, was the first woman in the history of the Goya Awards to win the award for Best Cinematography for his work in the film The girls (2020) and has also been the Director of Photography for Alcarras (2022), Golden Bear for best film at the Berlinale.