The Language Christmas Project 2025: How Our College Learners Became Marketing Analysts and Christmas Creators
- Headmistress
- 3 days ago
- 3 minút čítania
This December, our college students took part in a unique interdisciplinary project that brought together marketing, persuasion techniques, creative storytelling, and the spirit of Christmas. Under the umbrella of “The Language Christmas Commercial Project 2025,” they explored how advertising influences audiences—and then put their new skills into practice by producing their own Christmas video commercials connected to our school.
Learning the Language of Advertising
The project began with a hands‑on introduction to persuasive techniques commonly used in advertising, including:
Emotional appeal
Repetition
Contrast
Popularity appeal
Urgency
Slogans and powerful language
Using the class presentations "How Ads Try to Influence Us" and "Common Advertising Techniques," students worked in teams to analyse sample advertisements from brands such as Spotify, WWF, Nike, IBM, Coca‑Cola, and others. This critical approach allowed students to move from passive consumers to active interpreters of visual media.
Exploring Christmas Commercials
Next, the groups examined several famous Christmas commercials—including classics by John Lewis, the emotional DocMorris ad, and the iconic IRN‑BRU Snowman advert. As they watched, students identified persuasive elements and reflected on how companies use Christmas themes such as nostalgia, family, kindness, and generosity to connect with audiences.
Through these analyses, students recognised that effective Christmas advertising is not just about selling—it’s about storytelling, emotion, and shared cultural values.
From Analysts to Creators: The Christmas Video Task
After studying examples, the real challenge began: Each class collaborated to create an original Christmas commercial.
The advertisement had to connect to our school “The Language” in a meaningful way.
It had to convey the true essence of Christmas.
It had to incorporate the slogan “The Language Christmas.”
Each student contributed an individual reflection on persuasive techniques and teamwork.
Students were divided into teams based on strengths—design, filming, scripting, and editing—and collaborated to produce short video reels, which were then uploaded to our project Padlet.
The Final Showcase, the evaluation and the winners :-)
The completed commercials can be viewed here:
We were honoured to have the final videos evaluated by Mr Rob Burke, an award‑winning film and television director from Dublin, Ireland, known for his work on productions such as Harry Wild, Free Rein, Red Rock, and Find Me in Paris. His professional insight provided our learners with an invaluable external perspective.
Mr Burke shared high praise for the students’ ambition, creativity, and collaborative spirit:
“I want to commend all the groups that submitted a video—an amazing 31 adverts were completed, and they were all bursting with creativity. This was not an easy task; the students should be proud to have participated and completed such an ambitious project.”
He noted that many student reflections highlighted both the challenges and the deep satisfaction derived from teamwork. According to him, the commercial‑making process clearly brought students closer together, requiring collective problem‑solving, communication, and mutual support.
Themes of togetherness, connecting, kindness, welcoming, and good company appeared across multiple entries, capturing what Mr Burke described as “the true essence of Christmas.” He also observed that persuasive techniques from the instructional task were strongly visible in the final productions—especially emotional appeal, whether through heartfelt storytelling or humour.
While many concepts overlapped across groups, making the judging process highly competitive. And the winners are:
WINNER 2025
“Language brings people together” – MK‑W‑1600.
Mr Burke highlighted this entry’s warm Christmas atmosphere, effective emotional impact, and strong technical execution—praising the team’s use of performance, camera work, lighting, props, editing, and music. The commercial fully met the brief, skillfully incorporating the spirit of “The Language Christmas.”
2nd Place – Runner Up
“Unwrap presence, not just presents” – PC‑TH‑1600Special Mention: Best Cinematography and Darkest Joke.
Special Mentions
Creativity (Hand‑Drawn Imagery)SM‑TH‑1600
Best Re‑interpretation of a Christmas Song“Rusty Chevrolet” – JP‑F‑1600
Best Satire“Should have gone to L&P” – KK‑W‑1600
What Students Learned
Throughout this project, learners strengthened a range of skills:
1. Critical Thinking
By deconstructing real ads, they developed the ability to recognise persuasive strategies and understand how advertisers shape emotions and behaviour.
2. Creative Production Skills
From storyboarding and filming to editing and post‑production, students experienced the full creative process.
3. Collaboration
Working in teams improved communication, planning, and task division—skills essential for real‑world projects.
4. Reflective Learning
The final individual reflections encouraged students to articulate their choices, analyse techniques they used, and evaluate the impact of their messaging.
The Language Christmas Commercial Project 2025 was far more than a holiday activity. It blended marketing literacy, teamwork, creative media production, and the spirit of Christmas into a rich, meaningful educational experience. Our college students not only learned how persuasive techniques work—they mastered how to use them thoughtfully and effectively.
Most importantly, they created films that celebrate what truly matters: connection, kindness, community, and the joy of learning.
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