HEMA Wins the Gouden Loeki for the Third Year Running 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 consecutive year. When the winner was announced on television last week, there was hardly any surprise. Anyone who had their TV on at all during December already knew which ad it would be. The Christmas commercial featuring Takkie and Siepie has once again captured the hearts of viewers, and the professional jury couldn’t ignore it either. It’s a remarkable achievement: creating the best commercial three years in a row is something only a handful of brands can pull off.

Why This HEMA Ad Hits the Mark

By now, we know the formula. No complicated storyline, no expensive Hollywood effects, just a pure, relatable moment. This year, we see a sick girl lying on the couch. She’s feeling unwell, and nothing seems to help. That is, until Takkie and Siepie, the two loyal four-legged friends, reveal themselves as true caregivers. With a cup of tea and a blanket, they manage to bring a smile to her face. It’s not a grand gesture, but the small, sincere warmth that the commercial radiates. That’s exactly what makes the HEMA commercial Gouden Loeki winning material. Its strength lies in its relatability; it makes us all think of that one time we were sick and someone, or a pet, took care of us.

Reviews for this HEMA commercial poured in from the very first broadcast. Social media was flooded with praise. People with tears in their eyes, parents recognising their own children on the couch, and of course, the inevitable die-hard Takkie-and-Siepie fans. It’s a guide on how it’s done 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 who just wants to be comforted. The connection to HEMA is by no means a pushy sales pitch; it feels like a natural part of the local household.

The Secret Formula Behind the Gouden Loeki Series

For me, the success of this series of commercials isn’t just down to the script or the actors. It’s the how to use of an icon: how to use the HEMA commercial Gouden Loeki to make a brand timeless. 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 thread they stick to. They build on the success of previous years, yet manage to tap into a new, universal feeling each time. Last year’s theme was absence, the year before it was loneliness, and this year, it’s the need for comfort. All themes that hit especially hard in December – the month of dark days and family gatherings.

• 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 adorable new friends.
• Simplicity: No complicated message. The commercial shows the products (the blankets, the tea sets) but makes them 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 a formality these days, that HEMA gets it handed to them. But that’s too simplistic. Winning a series like this, year after year, is something only a brand that truly feels like part of the family can achieve. It’s no coincidence that this year’s Gouden Loeki review was nearly unanimously positive. The professional jury praised the 'timeless storytelling' and 'authenticity', two terms you don’t often hear in the same sentence about a retail chain. Yet HEMA manages to pull it off: they turn a store chain into a feeling. And that feeling is the real prize they win, even before that little statuette.

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. See you next year? The bar has certainly been set incredibly high again.