Dive Brief:

• Shutterfly on Wednesday premiered its "Let Good Fly" ad campaign for the forthcoming 2020 holiday season, according to details emailed to Marketing Dive.
• The ad, which the company created in collaboration with the San Francisco-based agency Argonaut, will run on cable and connected TV (CTV) for six weeks, as well as across various online, radio and social media channels, per the company's email.
• The campaign urges consumers to send cards, photo books and other personalized gifts filled with memories from a year that saw new trends spurred by the coronavirus pandemic, like baking bread at home.

Dive Insight:

Shutterfly's holiday campaign highlights the unique circumstances of 2020, drawing from cultural themes that have emerged this year, including baking homemade bread and avoiding professional haircare for COVID-19 safety reasons. The pandemic has pushed brands to adopt personas ranging from optimistic and dreamer to cynical and pessimistic, research from AnalyticsIQ found, and Shutterfly has settled on a lighthearted but sarcastic tone for this unprecedented holiday season.

Shutterfly said in its email to Marketing Dive that its ad focuses on people who make holiday cards and gifts via the company's services, but noted that this year's gifts will be different due to the joyous, humorous or even absurd moments 2020 has brought.

Other brands, including Coors Light, Gap and Chrysler, have released ads playing on coronavirus pandemic humor or conveying cheerfulness despite the current situation, and research suggests that consumers are open to more easygoing campaigns. As early as May, many consumers reported they were ready for brands to discuss topics besides the pandemic in their messaging. In addition, a May report from market researcher Magid found that a plurality of Gen Z consumers are looking for fun content rather than anything romantic, exciting or scary.