overview 

This project is a digital ad concept for Keebler Cookies, designed as an Instagram carousel for the holiday season.

challenge

Approach

The main challenge of this project concept was to target parents who keep Christmas traditions alive while keeping the holiday elements low to appeal to everyone but be distinct enough to not blend in with other Christmas ads that someone would find while quickly scrolling through Instagram.

Because this was a holiday ad, the goal was to lean into the season without going overboard. Recently, the concept of “Elf on the Shelf” has become very popularized on social media platforms, stemming from an existing holiday tradition, parents move the elf each day before Christmas Day. I decided to play off of that since the Keebler mascot is an elf, it was a natural connection. The headline and call to action, “Take the Elf off the Shelf,” reframes the tradition into a fun play on words while still focusing on advertising.

Design

The ad features a family grocery shopping together, with a young girl smiling and pointing toward the product. The family is positioned to the right, while the headline and supporting elements sit centrally, using the child’s gesture as a visual guide for the viewer’s eye.

Red and green were used to reference the holiday season while staying aligned with Keebler’s existing brand palette. A red gradient was added behind the elf and logo to increase contrast and emphasize the focal point of the campaign. The background was edited to include Keebler’s most recognizable cookie products, reinforcing brand familiarity at a glance.

Simple snowflake elements suggest holiday magic without introducing distracting visuals like Santa or Christmas trees. The headline uses a green, cartoon-inspired serif typeface that evokes childhood and holiday nostalgia while remaining clear and readable especially in a fast-scrolling scenario.

Result

The results are a simple ad for the holidays that is attention grabbing for an audience that would be otherwise bombarded with holiday ads. While Christmas is a naturally maximalist holiday, this Instagram carousel ad reinforced the value of restraint while someone is quickly scrolling through their phone. Clever text and simple imagery was my way to do just that.

A family of three, a woman, a man, and a young girl, happily shopping for candies at a store. The image features festive white dots overlaid and an elf cartoon character with a red hat and green suit at the bottom left, with the text "Take the Elf off the Shelf" in large green and white letters. The store background includes shelves with colorful candies and the Keebler brand logo at the bottom right.
Social media post on a smartphone screen showing a Christmas-themed advertisement for Keebler, featuring a family and elves, with the slogan 'Take the Elf off the Shelf'.