'Tis apparently the season to be Christmas caroling in TV spots

Watch a bit of TV this holiday season, and you may be struck by two very similar ad campaigns from Marshalls/TJ Maxx and Best Buy. True, there's not a ton of ways you can go creatively with the Christmas theme. I mean, how many riffs on Santa and his elves can you do? But caroling is somewhat novel (though check out this Jack in the Box ad from 1978), which makes the symmetry between the ads that much more evident. The Marshalls/TJ Maxx ad, from GSD&M Idea City, features about a dozen crooners in a mall trying to convince shoppers that they'd save money by heading over to either of those discount stores. "Get the same gifts at better prices by shopping elsewhere," they sing to the tune of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." Meanwhile, over at Best Buy, there's a chorus of geeks offering advice to a female shopper about buying for her man: "High-def TV, High-def TV in 1080p. With 120 Hz, guys are so easy," they sing, to the melody of "Jingle Bells." Like most commercials, it's amusing the first time and suicide-inducing by the twentieth or so. Thank God Christmas only comes once a year.

—Posted by Todd Wasserman