Is This Divisive Holiday Commercial Good Marketing?

This holiday commercial from EDEKA, a German supermarket chain, created something of an email sensation in our MONSTER offices. Reactions to the ad ranged from teardrops to belly laughs to head scratches. It also sparked a ton of conversation—from why the ad works on a gut level to questions about significant plot holes to imaginative ideas for Shyamalan-esque twist endings they could have tacked on.

Apparently we aren’t the only ones discussing this commercial either. It currently has around 40 million views on YouTube, and The Drum notes it has overtaken John Lewis to become the most-shared Christmas ad of 2015. Much like in our offices, across the board reactions to the commercial have been strong and decidedly mixed. This NY Daily News article provides a good sample of various responses.

So we put the question to you: What are your thoughts on this commercial? Is this good or bad marketing? And if a commercial bases itself only on super emotional content and NOT its product or itself, does it actually work in a marketing capacity? Watch the video and share your thoughts by commenting below.