Colgate Claymation Holiday Ad: Key Findings
- Colgate and Toejam Films build humor around the familiar mistake of leaving toiletries behind, letting objects carry the story.
- The handcrafted claymation format creates a distinct identity during a crowded holiday advertising season.
- Each short ties its jokes directly to toothbrush and toothpaste behavior, keeping the product central to the narrative.
Campaign Snapshot
A family walks out the door for the holidays and forgets every bathroom essential they need.
This small oversight sets the premise for Colgate's three-part claymation series, which flips the point of view to the toothbrushes and toothpaste left behind.
Created with Toejam Films, the shorts focus on what happens once the house is empty.
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One film follows a full-size toothpaste spiraling over the fear of being replaced by travel minis.
Another builds tension through prank calls that reach humans only as static.
The final spot erupts into a chaotic bathroom concert after the family leaves.
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Colgate-Palmolive Director of Social, Influencer & Communications Rebecca Keszkowski spoke to DesignRush about the brand's content strategy for the holidays:
“As a team, we considered a variety of universal consumer experiences, and leaned into the all-too relatable fact that everyone has left home without their oral care (at least once) while traveling for the holidays.
Instead of telling that story from the traveler’s point of view, we asked what it might feel like for the products left behind.
That shift opened the door to a playful, character-driven approach that felt fresh (and entertaining) for the holidays!”
Claymation That Builds Character
The animation style does most of the work, with slightly uneven motion and tactile detail giving each object a personality.
Colgate and Toejam Films avoid sentimentality by keeping the drama small and specific.
The stories revolve around insecurity, frustration, and misplaced confidence, all expressed through product behavior instead of human emotion.
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“For Colgate’s holiday campaign, we focused on translating the brand’s vision into our own handmade world," Toejam Films shared with DesignRush.
"The concept centered on a playful twist on 'Home Alone:' imagining what your toiletries are doing when you forget them behind on vacation.”
This discipline keeps the work from slipping into novelty.
Holiday Advertising Pressure
Holiday advertising continues to intensify, with U.S. retail sales projected to exceed $1 trillion in 2025, according to NRF data cited by AP.
This scale makes differentiation harder as similar tones and visuals pile up across channels.
Claymation acts as a visual counterweight. Slower pacing and texture draw attention, while the object-led humor gives Colgate a clear stylistic lane.
Several broader creative lessons emerge from the campaign’s focus on restraint, product-led humor, and format choice:
- Let products drive the joke. Building humor around product behavior strengthens recall.
- Use craft to set the tone. Handcrafted formats add personality without inflating scale.
- Keep stories compact. Short vignettes land quickly and travel well on social platforms.
These insights underline how a small shift in perspective can give familiar holiday themes new energy.
Our Take: Does the Object POV Still Feel Fresh?
I think it does, mainly because Colgate stays disciplined about what the idea needs to be. T
The humor comes from product behavior and timing, not from forcing sentiment or adding human drama where it doesn’t belong.
In a holiday cycle where many ads reach for scale or emotional shortcuts, this series stands out to me by trusting craft and human creativity.
Looking for partners who can bring crafted storytelling to life? Explore Top Video Production Agencies on DesignRush.
