HEMA wins the Gouden Loeki for the third year in a row with its iconic Christmas ad: a look back
It's official: the Gouden Loeki, the coveted award for the best commercial in the Netherlands, has gone to HEMA for the third year in a row. When the winner was announced on TV last week, there was little surprise. Anyone who had their TV on during December already knew which ad it would be. The Christmas ad featuring Takkie and Siepie has once again captured viewers' hearts, and the professional jury couldn't ignore it either. It's a major achievement: creating the best ad three years in a row is something very few brands manage.
Why this HEMA ad hits the mark
We know the formula by now. No complicated story, no expensive Hollywood effects, just a pure, relatable moment. This year, we see a sick girl lying on the couch. She feels lousy, and nothing seems to help. That is, until Takkie and Siepie, the two loyal pets, reveal themselves to be genuine caregivers. With a teacup and a blanket, they manage to bring a smile to her face. It's not a grand gesture, but the small, sincere love that the commercial radiates. That's precisely what makes the HEMA ad Gouden Loeki winning material. The strength lies in its relatability; it reminds us all of that one time we were sick ourselves and someone, or an animal, took care of us.
Reviews of this HEMA ad poured in from the moment it first aired. Social media was flooded with positive comments. People with tears in their eyes, parents recognising their own kids on the couch, and of course, the inevitable die-hard Takkie and Siepie fans. It serves as a guide to getting it right in the advertising world: focus on emotion, not product features. You see the dog and the cat, you feel the warmth, and before you know it, you're that little kid again, wanting to be comforted. The connection to HEMA isn't pushy sales talk; it feels like a natural part of the Dutch household.
The secret formula behind the Gouden Loeki series
For me, the success of this series of ads isn't just down to the script or the actors. It's the how to use of an icon: how to use HEMA ad Gouden Loeki to make a brand immortal. The answer is simple: be consistent and dare to be vulnerable. While many brands try to launch a completely new, often over-the-top, crazy Christmas campaign each year, HEMA has found a lane and stuck to it. They build on the success of previous years, but manage to tap into a new, universal feeling each time. Last year's theme was loss, the year before it was loneliness, and now it's the need for comfort. All themes that hit especially hard in December – the month of dark days and family.
- Relatability: The situation is everyday, but the execution is cinematic. Everyone recognises the comfort of a pet or a loved one.
- Nostalgia: Takkie and Siepie have been icons for decades. By putting them front and centre, they effortlessly tap into the nostalgia of older viewers, while for new generations, they're also cute new friends.
- Simplicity: No complicated message. The commercial shows the product (the blankets, the tea set), but makes it secondary to the story. It doesn't feel like an ad; it feels like a short film.
I know people who say the Gouden Loeki is just a formality these days, that HEMA gets it handed to them. But that's too easy a thought. Winning a series like this, year after year, is only possible for a brand that truly lives in people's living rooms. It's no wonder that the Gouden Loeki review this year was almost unanimously positive. The professional jury praised the 'timeless storytelling' and 'authenticity' – two terms you don't normally hear in the same sentence about a retail company. Yet HEMA manages to pull it off: they turn a retail chain into a feeling. And that feeling is the real prize they win, even before that little statue.
So, cheers to Takkie, cheers to Siepie, and cheers to the people at HEMA who understand that the best advertising is the kind that doesn't feel like advertising at all. Same time next year? The bar is once again set incredibly high.