Fairy tales conveying traditions and moral values are an important part of our lives and cultural identity. The connection between fairy tales and advertising is not accidental.
Fairy tales have been around forever
Several hundred years ago, fairy tale authors like the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen and Charles Perrault helped bring magical stories of princesses, ogres, dark forests, strange spells and thwarted love into storybooks - and the beds of children around the world. But how old are the fairy tales that the authors have remade? A new study suggests their origins date back to prehistoric times. The study published in the Royal Society Open Science journal claims that fairy tales such as Rumplestiltskin and Jack and the Magic Bean are much older than previously thought. According to the researchers, some of these classic stories are between 4,000 and 5,000 years old. Who knows whether people were using them to promote their products in ancient times? Advertising has a long history too. The first hints of advertising come from steel carvings by the ancient Egyptians in 2000 BC.
A combination of fairy tales and advertising
Both fairy tales and advertising have a similar purpose - they portray a desirable image and offer the means to achieve satisfaction. Fairy tale themes and allusions are very often used for commercial and non-commercial purposes by advertisers around the world. People of all ages enjoy the escape from reality offered by fairy tale campaigns. What is interesting is how diverse these fairy tale campaigns are - they reach into a wide variety of industries. Today, let’s take a look at the use of fairy tales in foreign advertising.
Levi’s jeans: Cinderella
In Levi’s version of Cinderella, a young woman searches all over the city for a man who fits the jeans she’s holding. While in the original fairy tale, the prince searches for his Cinderella by her shoe, in the ad, the roles are reversed, giving the audience a very different, slightly feminist perspective.
Video: Levi’s - Cinderella reversed
AT&T: Hansel and Gretel
This AT&T ad bets on the nostalgia evoked by the fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel, who marked a trail with breadcrumbs to find their way home. As in the fairy tale, the crumbs are lost, some are eaten by pigeons, others fall down the drain. But the children are not lost. They have GPS on their mobile phones!
Video: AT&T - Hansel and Gretel
John Lewis: The Bear and the Hare
The fairytale motif was used by the British supermarket chain John Lewis in its 2013 Christmas film about a bear and a hare. The ad from adam&eveDDB combines traditional 2D cartoon animation with a hand-crafted 3D model world. The campaign, in which the hare tries to convince his friend, the bear, that there is a beautiful meaning to Christmas, is inspired by the children’s book Bear Stays Up for Christmas. The song Somewhere Only We Know by Keane, performed by British singer Lily Allen, served as the musical backdrop to give the advert the right atmosphere.
Video: John Lewis – The Bear and the Hare
H&M has its own fairy tale
It’s not always necessary to use an existing classic fairy tale, as the H&M advert confirms, offering a new, modern fairy tale about Santa’s evil brother. Trinidadian rapper and singer Nicki Minaj stars as the mother and American actor and director Jesse Williams takes on the role of the father and the supernatural being. Actor and screenwriter John Turturro appears as both Santa Claus and his evil brother. And because it is a fairy tale, a little girl defeats evil and saves Christmas. The H&M brand used the modern story to promote fashion and accessories for the festive season.
Video: H&M - Evil Santa Claus
Marks & Spencer: Christmas Fairy Tale Mix
The British supermarket chain Marks & Spencer showed off in its Christmas 2013 campaign through a telling ad inspired by some of the most famous Anglo-Saxon fairy tales. Apart from Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz, there is obvious inspiration from Little Red Riding Hood, flashes of Hansel and Gretel and a flying carpet. But there are many more fairy tales hidden in the ad. Supermodel Rosie Huntington-Whiteley plays the role of the fairy tale heroine, her partner is David Gandy.
Video: Marks & Spencer - Christmas Fairy Tale Ad
Coca-Cola Zero: The Story of the Grim Kingdom
Coca-Cola decided to create its own instead of a classic fairy tale. The result is an animated tale of a grim kingdom that turns into an energetic and rather crazy land. A very bold rendition indeed thanks to Coca-Cola Zero!
Video: Coca-Cola - The Story of the Kingdom
Moccona: There is only one true Cinderella
Unlike in the classic Cinderella, where the prince is looking for a girl whose shoe fits, the young man in the ad goes house to house looking for a girl whose coffee jar would fit the glass lid that was apparently left as a memory of a beautiful night. Of course, he finds the right beauty with Moccona coffee at home.
Video: Moccona - Cinderella
Sky: Once upon a time
Like Datart and Red Bull in the Czech Republic, Sky is a company that uses fairy tales. And very successfully. In September 2010, Aladdin signed a broadband contract with Sky. Of course, the genie of the magic lamp made the deal...
Video: Sky - Aladdin
The brand also humorously references The Princess and the Pea. The sleepless princess complains to the prince in the morning that the night was awful because they had a terribly slow connection at the castle. If the prince wants her to stay with him, he has to sort it out...
Video: Sky – The Princess and the Pea
Sky has many more fairy tale-inspired ads. How about The Frog Prince or Little Red Riding Hood?
Pepsi One: Little Red Riding Hood
Pepsi One also used Little Red Riding Hood in 2001. However, the TV spot that will conclude our selection is very untypical, as it presents an extremely sexualised rendition of the fairy tale. The commercial exploits the seductiveness associated with the colour red. In the original fairy tale, it is the colour of the main character’s hood, whereas in the ad, red is the colour of all women’s clothing. The key difference between the original fairy tale and this Pepsi ad lies in the target audience. While the fairy tale appeals to individuals of all genders equally, the ad is aimed exclusively at a male audience. However, the ‘seducer’ is not the wolf but Little Red Riding Hood.
Video: Pepsi One – Little Red Riding Hood
Whether brands are copying famous fairy tales exactly in their ads, offering an interesting departure from the theme or reversal of roles, or coming up with a brand new fairy tale, they can’t go wrong. The use of fairy tale motifs evokes nostalgia and a sense of returning to childhood in the audience. Emotions run high and a positive connection with the brand is made. What more could you ask for?