ET and Elliott reunite in Sky and Comcast’s Xmas campaign via GS&P, San Francisco

After 37 years, E.T. and Elliott are back together – and there’s a lot to catch up on in this festive campaign from Sky and Comcast. Both the alien and the earth boy from the iconic Steven Spielberg movie have grown up and raised families of their own in a spot via Goodby Silverstein & Partners San Francisco, that’s hoping to get audiences feeling nostalgic.

 

And if that weren’t enough of a coup, the director of the original 1982 movie – the one and only Steven Spielberg – was also on hand. Not only was he involved in the storyboarding stage, he also got stuck in during some of the edit sessions too. Taking on the nerve-wracking duty of directing the spot was Park Pictures’ Lance Acord. Actor Henry Thomas, who starred in the original, reprises his role as Elliott, making the film a true reunion.

The idea originated with Comcast’s agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners. The creative was developed by associate creative directors Eduardo Quadra and Ricardo Uribe, guided by Aussie expat creative director Tristan Graham and partner Felipe Lima and overseen by ECD Jim Elliott and Jeff Goodby.

As well as starring one of cinema’s most enduring and iconic characters, with oversight from the campaign marks a number of firsts. It’s the first time the two brands have collaborated on an advertising campaign since Comcast acquired Sky last year.

In the US, the spot advertises Comcasts’ Xfinity brand (which markets cable TV, telephone and internet) and in the UK it functions as a film that unites the whole Sky brand, as well as promoting products such as Sky Q and Sky Mobile. Insiders at Sky say that the spot is a ‘defining moment’ in terms of how Comcast and Sky are going to collaborate and work together going forward.

It’s also the first year that Sky has launched a brand-wide Christmas campaign – usually festive marketing is split up between different streams, such as Sky Sport and Sky Cinema.