2024 Holiday Mishaps
Holidays are beautifully messy, and we’ve all experienced our own versions of perfectly imperfect moments. One year, it’s the chaos of a road trip to visit grandparents. Another, it's the friendly neighborhood rivalry over who has the best decorations. Or the year the dog managed to get to the meticulously prepared dinner before anyone else. And sometimes, it’s simply the beautiful mess of presents unwrapped. But through it all, the holiday chaos is held together by something deeper—connection.
Connection with loved ones amidst the whirlwind of activities and plans. Connection with new faces we welcome into our homes. Connection with those we’ve longed to reconnect with. Together, we celebrate the best of the holidays, connected—even in the chaos.
With the launch of Verizon’s identity rebrand introduced its first seasonal campaign, featuring a refreshed brand design platform focused on impactful photographic storytelling. This creative direction crafted a cohesive narrative of connection through relatable holiday mishaps, seamlessly integrating above-the-line and below-the-line elements, imagery, and graphics. The result was a unified holiday system built on three key pillars of connection: a creative design language that visually unites the brand, a tone of voice that fosters relatability, and messaging that emotionally resonates with the audience.
Real Moments.
Real Friends and Families.
Real Connections.
From toppled trees and tangled lights to a burnt Friendsgiving turkey, an uncle’s awkward toast, and a four-legged present thief, these imperfect moments were captured through a candid photographic lens—highlighting the humor, love, and togetherness that shine when things don’t go as planned. The result was a genuine emotional connection, reminding us that the best holiday memories are often the most unfiltered.
Lifestyle Photography Style
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The photographic approach closely aligned with the brand’s overarching vision—colorful, expressive, and irreverent.
Lifestyle photography captured the “in-between” moments with emotional honesty, showcasing the real, varied reactions that unfold during unexpected holiday mishaps. These images highlighted the humor, love, and togetherness that define the season, reinforcing the campaign’s core theme: perfectly imperfect moments of connection.
Lighting and Color
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Lighting and color were key in defining a consistent, clear style for the brand—one that didn’t rely on ideal weather conditions, like sunny blue-sky days. This colorful approach embraced a natural style with high-contrast visuals, creating a fresh, expressive, and relevant aesthetic. It pushed the brand further into a ‘contemporary’ space, seamlessly aligning with the campaign narrative and enhancing its expressiveness.
Product & Still-life Photography Style
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Still-life photography embraced the beauty in chaos, transforming mess and imperfection into visually striking compositions. Objects and products were thoughtfully styled to reflect themes of “gifting” and the end results of “holiday mishaps”—elevating the unexpected into artful, intentional moments.
This approach offered strong flexibility across channels, with bold, graphic still-life imagery performing especially well in marketing formats like OLAs. Crucially, it upheld a cohesive visual language by tying product photography to the broader narrative of perfectly imperfect moments—eliminating the need for disjointed or standalone shoots.
The Holiday Playbook: Imperfectly Perfect, Authentically Connected, Seamless Rollout
The photoshoot embraced irreverence—celebrating mishaps and the unexpected. This spirit carries through the design system, which mirrors the campaign’s playful tone and dynamic energy. Familiar holiday elements—ribbons, wrapping paper—are reimagined as messy, imperfect, and expressive graphic forms. A campaign-specific green adds festive contrast, while Verizon Red, stone, and white bring warmth and depth without relying on seasonal clichés. The result is a system that feels intentionally imperfect, unexpectedly vibrant, and cohesively relatable across marketing, channels, and point of sale.
The holiday campaign rollout created a seamless in-store experience, bringing the campaign to life through impactful window displays, compelling photography, and a consistent design system.
Static to digital content was tailored to amplify promos and the overall campaign theme.
Unified signage displays and point-of-purchase reinforced key messaging.
Integrated visual merchandising created an immersive shopping experience.
Campaign-branded retail staff t-shirts and limited-edition bags reinforced the brand experience, extending the campaign through team presentation and key customer touchpoints.
Credits
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Leadership TeamRicardo Aspiazu
Senior Vice President, Creative Marketing, Brand Management & Brand DesignKate Carnesale
Senior Director, Brand Management & GovernanceKristian Espinosa
Senior Director, Brand Design & IdentityJames Hogan
Senior Director, Creative MarketingMike Wente
Vice President, Creative Marketing & Brand Design—
Brand Design & PhotographyAlex Cuttitta
Program Manager, Brand Design & PhotographyAndreina Restrepo-Breneman
Creative Director, Brand Design & Lifestyle PhotographyYassmina Fandi
Executive Producer, Brand PhotographyHanifa Haris
Creative Director, Brand PhotographyKaty McCarthy
Production DirectorKent Szlauderbach
Copywriter, Brand Voice & CopyDoug Wiganowske
Senior Creative Director, Brand Design -
Tom van Schelven
Photographer & Director, LifestyleYasara Gunawardana
Photographer, ProductGiant Artist
Talent ManagementVersatile Productions
Production Partner -
Chris Garvey
Executive Creative DirectorJared Britton
Creative DirectorOliver Lo
Design DirectorWyeth Whiting
EVP, Director of Partnerships