10 Examples of Holiday Videos - Minnesota Grown

In case you can’t tell, Agile Video is all about the holidays. We love the music. We love the Christmas episodes of our favorite tv shows. We love the Christmas shows at the local theaters. We love gathering with family and friends. It’s just a festive time at the Agile Video office.

We also really love the holiday videos company produce.

So we thought we’d take a look at what several Minnesota companies have created over the years to spread holiday cheer amongst their employees and customers. Some are budget busters. Some were recorded with a phone. Some are old (1973) and some are new (2020.) Some are simply commercials to sell products and others showcase the good these companies do within their communities.

These videos are meant to inspire you. We’ve selected these hoping to stir your creative juices and see what others are doing with their corporate holiday videos. Yes, we have our favorites (we will not divulge that information) but these 10 examples of company holiday videos are simply here for your enjoyment.

Old School Classics

The holidays are a time for marketing. I know, I know, commercialism. “There's a lot of bad isms floating around this world, but one of the worst is commercialism.” (See Miracle on 34th Street for that last reference.) Yes, the commercials start airing before Halloween. And yes, by the time Christmas roles around you’ve been beaten over the head with holiday sales. But sometimes a commercial resonates.

Take this 1993 classic from Dairy Queen. For some reason, we just love the old tag line, “We Treat You Right.” There’s nothing really ground breaking with this video, yet we’ve watched it a dozen times now. It reminds us of our favorite holiday baking shows on Food Network. Only Dairy Queen could make me want ice cream when it’s below zero outside.

The Old School Classics category is the only one with two entries. We found this gem from Arctic Cat produced back in 1973. We’re guessing this commercial had a healthy budget in 1973. It has everything! A catchy jingle. A fun story. And snowmobiles. For those of you in parts of the world without snow, snowmobiles are HUGE here in Minnesota. It’s only 30-seconds so take the time to watch and enjoy. We bet you watch it more than once.

International Seasons Greetings

The award (there really aren’t any awards) for the only international Seasons Greetings video I came across goes to Anytime Fitness. Anytime Fitness used a time tested technique of having its employees say, “Merry Christmas” to its customers. However, Anytime Fitness added some international flair. The fitness company asked its employees from around the world to send out a short, “Merry Christmas” message in their own languages. We love how some parts of the globe set up a nice shot and others used a shaky iPhone cam to send their messages. It’s a great example of not spending a lot of money yet acknowledging your customers during the holiday season.

The Season of Giving

We all love random acts of giving. For whatever reason, people’s generosity tends to shine during these cold months. It’s great!!! One company that embraces the spirit of giving is Coborn’s Grocery. This video is a few years old but we love the premise. Coborn’s partners with 12 of its suppliers and does its own version of the 12 Days of Christmas. Employees walking around the store, seek out customers and pay for their groceries, hand out gift cards and generally showcase what the Christmas Season is all about. If you want to see pure joy and happiness, check out (pun intended - you’ll know what I mean when you get to this part) the1:27 mark of this video.

Giving Back

Ok, so this next category is basically the same as the one above. Minnesota Companies really do good for their communities. Love Your Melon is a prime example. This awesome company exists to give. It has raised more than $7 million for pediatric cancer. If that’s not enough, Love Your Melon also partners with other outstanding organizations to do good. In this 2018 video, LYM teams up with Best Christmas Ever to help a family that’s going through tough times and give them, well, the Best Christmas Ever. (Best Christmas Ever is an outstanding non-profit here in Minnesota. Click here to learn more about this special group of kind souls. Go to the website to learn how you can help give a family, “The Best Christmas Ever.”)

Back to Love Your Melon, this is just one of many Minnesota companies making Agile Video proud to call Minnesota home.

A Classic Tale Retold

You might notice a theme here. We love videos showcasing companies doing good. Hormel nailed it with this video loosely based on, “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” During this time of year, some people just need a little pick me up. They need something that says, “People Care.” This video shows Hormel employees calling customers who need a little help and offering them free hams and other products. At about 2:50 there is an, “I’m not crying, you’re crying moment.” The video is 6:00 but worth every minute.

Well done Hormel! Well done.

Here We Go A-Caroling

This one is near and dear to our hearts. My mom worked at Carson Craft for years. The stationary company out of North Mankato put zero dollars into this video. Yet, if someone asked me to describe the people of North Mankato, Minnesota, we would send them a link to this video. Are they good singers? No comment. This is simply a group of holiday loving Carlson Craft employees expressing their love for Christmas. It’s shot on a phone and I’m guessing this is a one take hit. This 55-second gem closes with the phrase, “Life Should Be Celebrated!” True. So true.

Social Christmas

It took the crew here at Agile Video a few days to agree upon the holiday social media video to highlight. After going back and forth and a few rounds of feats of strength (Seinfeld anyone??) Christopher & Banks took the mythical prize. Why did this one stand out? In full disclosure, we didn’t have anything from 2020 yet so we thought we needed to showcase a newer video. Also, we liked the simplicity of this. There is no message other than, “Buy from Christopher & Banks this holiday season.” And that’s ok. We have a lot of tug-at-your-heart type videos so why not show a good old fashioned advertisement. The treatment is clean and simple. It tells a story (kind of). And it’s only 16-seconds long. The one downside to this video is the offer is expired.

Most Minnesotan Video

What is your favorite holiday tradition? What is your favorite holiday meal? What is your craziest holiday memory? For the Most Minnesotan Video, Summit Brewing spared no expense. Literally there was no expense to create this video. They shot it at their holiday party and simply asked employees to share holiday stories, memories, etc. This is risky. You never know what someone is going to say at a holiday party and since this was at a brewery, alcohol was involved. There was one cuss word bleeped out. It showcases the best Minnesota and traditions like lutefisk and lefse. And oh those Minnesota accents. This video is pure Minnesotan!

Most Practical Holiday Video

Summit Brewing is the only Minnesota company to be mentioned twice. They produced a video that warrants your watch on Christmas Eve and Day. How so? Summit Brewing produced its own Yule Log video. (They’ve done this for several years.) I say this is genius! Our Santa hat is off to you folks at Summit Brewing! Oh, and check out the 26:53 mark.

Merry Christmas

It took hours and hours to find these videos. No, not all of them are the “best” so to speak. But each one truly represents the holiday. From the team here at Agile Video, have a Happy and Safe Holiday!

Todd Vaske is the president of Agile Video, a video production company in Minneapolis, Minnesota. We love to hear your comments. If you are looking for advice on your next video project, please reach out. If you’re a video production specialist, feel free to connect and talk shop.