The Digital Story of the Nativity | Clapboard Ad Archive

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The Digital Story of the Nativity - Excentric | Clapboard Ad Archive

The Digital Story of the Nativity is Excentric’s inventive answer to the annual agency self-promo brief, reimagining the classic Christmas narrative for Year 2010 Portugal by using the mechanics and vernacular of dominant digital platforms—Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google, Wikipedia, Google Maps, Gmail, Foursquare, and Amazon—as storytelling devices in the Media / Entertainment landscape. Conceived as a shareable, seasonally incisive “postcard” for clients, the campaign strategically seized on the emotional context of a religious holiday to maximize resonance and virality, triggering a surge in social sharing that swiftly propelled it across the digital ecosystem and into the cultural conversation. Rather than retelling the Nativity in a format-bound, reverent manner, Excentric harnessed what Clapboard’s taxonomy would classify as FORMAT#12—Parody or Borrowed Format—by brilliantly mapping ancient narrative moments onto the formats, visual grammar, and behavioral tics of contemporary web and mobile services, transforming visitations, journeys, and milestones into check-ins, status updates, tweets, map pins, search histories, inbox crammed with angelic Gmail messages, and e-retail purchases that collapse sacred import into the everyday gestures of a networked society. The creative success lies in the subversive, gently ironic juxtaposition of biblical epic and digital banality, inviting audiences fluent in the rhythms of social media to encounter a venerated story anew—and, crucially, to share it. Metrics reinforce impact: with over 13 million views and a groundswell of cross-platform interaction, the project proved that self-promotion, when powered by cultural acuity and technical agility, can elevate agency relevance far beyond the traditional Christmas greeting. Excentric’s digital craft does not rely on nostalgia or sanctimony but instead demonstrates how universal human experiences—faith, anticipation, connection—translate across centuries and media channels when orchestrated by a brand attuned to both tradition and technological change. The campaign earns 88/100 in Clapboard's global creative archive. As digital culture increasingly rewards nimble, platform-native storytelling, this work hints at how agencies can refresh even the most storied narratives to drive engagement and creative distinction in a saturated market.

Credits

Client

Excentric

Agency

Excentric, Lisbon, Portugal

Category Mind Map

48%

The campaign "The Digital Story of the Nativity" by Excentric demonstrates the brand’s commitment to innovation and cultural relevance by creatively bridging traditional storytelling with emerging digital platforms. By retelling the Christmas Nativity story through popular social media and web services like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google, Wikipedia, and more, Excentric positions itself as a forward-thinking agency that understands the evolving media landscape and how to leverage digital channels for meaningful engagement. The core proposition lies in showcasing Excentric’s ability to adapt timeless narratives to modern communication tools, emphasizing that while platforms change, authentic human experiences and emotions remain constant. Strategically, the campaign taps into the seasonal context of Christmas, aligning timing with a religious holiday in Portugal to maximize cultural resonance and emotional impact. The creative angle transforms a familiar story into an interactive digital experience, designed specifically with the "share it" factor to encourage social amplification among clients and broader audiences. This insight into user behavior—where audiences are driven to share content that resonates emotionally and socially—enabled rapid viral growth across channels like Facebook and Twitter. By embedding the campaign within platforms integral to everyday digital life, Excentric effectively targets not only industry professionals seeking agency innovation but also digitally savvy consumers, thereby reinforcing its market relevance and digital expertise within the Agency Self-Promo category.

FORMAT#12 PARODY OR BORROWED FORMAT — Uses or parodies pop culture formats like films, shows, or genres. 'The Digital Story of the Nativity' campaign fits FORMAT#12 because it retells the traditional Nativity story—one of the most iconic narrative arcs in world culture—using the language, structure, and visual motifs of modern digital and social media platforms. Instead of simply narrating the original events or focusing on a product demo, the campaign borrows the digital vocabulary and behavior of platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Google, and Amazon to parody how these technologies might have been used if they existed during the Nativity. The creative device hinges on the humorous juxtaposition and cultural reference—turning classic biblical moments into “status updates” and “tweets,” blending old story with new-media forms. The success and surprise come from the clever adaptation (parody) of two distinct storytelling genres—ancient scripture and contemporary digital culture.

1. Wunderman Thompson Portugal – Positioned as a data-driven creative agency, Wunderman Thompson combines creativity with technology to deliver innovative storytelling and integrated digital campaigns, focusing on enhancing consumer engagement through multi-channel experiences and data insights. 2. Ogilvy Portugal – Renowned for its global reach and strategic brand communications, Ogilvy Portugal emphasizes brand storytelling powered by creativity and technology, leveraging social media and digital platforms to craft compelling narratives that build long-term brand equity. 3. Naked Communications Portugal – This agency differentiates itself by pioneering behavior change marketing and innovative digital campaigns that merge creativity with social insight, focusing heavily on driving engagement through social media and experiential storytelling. 4. Fuel Lisbon – Fuel positions itself as a cutting-edge digital agency specializing in interactive and immersive campaigns, blending technology, digital innovation, and narrative to create memorable brand experiences in the media and entertainment sector. 5. Havas Worldwide Portugal – Havas leverages its global network to deliver integrated communication solutions, highlighting creativity and digital innovation, with a strong emphasis on social media storytelling and content that resonates with diverse audiences in an entertainment context.

Q: What is The Digital Story of the Nativity about? A: The Digital Story of the Nativity is a digital campaign created by Excentric in 2010 for the Portuguese market as a self-promotional initiative. The campaign reimagines the traditional Christmas Nativity story through the lens of contemporary digital platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google, Wikipedia, Google Maps, GMail, Foursquare, and Amazon. Designed as a modern Christmas postcard with viral potential, it was launched online to coincide with a religious holiday in Portugal, rapidly gaining traction through social sharing. The campaign demonstrates Excentric’s creative approach to blending classic storytelling with the digital behaviors of the era. Q: What creative device does The Digital Story of the Nativity use? A: The Digital Story of the Nativity employs FORMAT#12 PARODY OR BORROWED FORMAT, as classified by Clapboard’s 12-format taxonomy. This approach involves retelling the iconic Nativity narrative using the structure, language, and visual cues of modern social media and web platforms. By parodying how platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Google might have been used if they existed during the Nativity, the campaign creates a humorous and culturally resonant juxtaposition. The creative device leverages the familiarity of both the biblical story and digital behaviors to engage audiences through clever adaptation and contemporary relevance. Q: What is the campaign proposition for The Digital Story of the Nativity? A: The campaign proposition for The Digital Story of the Nativity centers on Excentric’s commitment to innovation and cultural relevance by bridging traditional storytelling with emerging digital channels. By retelling the Christmas Nativity through the tools and language of social media, Excentric positions itself as a forward-thinking agency attuned to the evolving media landscape. The campaign targets both industry professionals and digitally savvy consumers, demonstrating how timeless narratives can be revitalized for modern audiences. This strategic positioning underscores that while communication platforms evolve, authentic human emotions and experiences remain constant. Q: How does The Digital Story of the Nativity rank in Clapboard's archive? A: The Digital Story of the Nativity holds a Clapboard Campaign Score of 88/100 in Clapboard’s global ad archive. This score reflects the campaign’s creative ambition, execution quality, and cultural relevance within the context of digital self-promotion and holiday storytelling. Q: Who are the competitors in Excentric's category? A: In the Portuguese agency self-promo and digital storytelling space, Excentric competes with several notable players. Wunderman Thompson Portugal is recognized for its data-driven creativity and integrated campaigns across channels. Ogilvy Portugal leverages global reach and strategic brand communications to build enduring narratives. Naked Communications Portugal stands out for its focus on behavior change marketing and social insight-driven engagement. Fuel Lisbon specializes in interactive, immersive campaigns blending technology and narrative, while Havas Worldwide Portugal emphasizes integrated communication solutions and digital innovation with a strong social media storytelling focus.

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