Somebody remembered the gift. Somebody counted the chairs. And somebody is figuring out how to feed the unexpected guests. PayPal’s new holiday campaign gives those people a little credit.
Created with BBH USA and Razorfish, “Your Season to Shine” celebrates the everyday effort behind the celebrations, from finding something special for a partner to getting a house ready for a crowd. PayPal takes a supporting role, positioning easier shopping and checkout as ways to give people more time for the gathering they’ve worked so hard to pull off.
The global campaign was developed through Publicis Groupe’s Power of One model, with BBH USA and Razorfish collaborating on the idea and global toolkit. BBH USA created and produced three films.
Two of those films, “Hosting” and “Something Special,” are rolling out in the U.S. across connected TV, online video and social platforms, including Meta, TikTok and Pinterest. The broader campaign spans the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, Italy and Australia, with placements across television, connected TV, out-of-home, paid social and display. Watch below:
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“The holidays are such a joyful time of year, but behind every great gift or perfectly planned gathering is someone working really hard to make it happen,” said Jane Cronk, executive creative director at BBH USA.
Cronk said the agency wanted to recognize those people as the season’s heroes, with PayPal providing rewards, deals and payment flexibility to help them bring their plans together.
That approach also acknowledges the pressure accompanying the festivities. According to PayPal’s 2026 Holiday Shopping Survey, nearly six in 10 Americans are entering the season with greater financial concerns.
For Natalie McGrath, global head of PayPal Marketing, humor offered a way to address the work and the inevitable complications without losing the joy.
“The idea behind ‘Season to Shine’ was to add some levity to all the work families do over the festive period,” McGrath said. “We wanted to bring to life the last-minute challenges that come up over the holidays, like unexpected guests or broken equipment.”
The campaign connects those situations with PayPal’s payment options, rewards and Buy Now, Pay Later offering. McGrath said the work reflects the company’s efforts to better understand customers facing competing demands on their time and money.
It’s a relatable place for a holiday campaign to land. The gathering may look effortless by the time everyone arrives. The person who made it happen knows exactly how much effort it took.
CREDITS:
BRAND — PayPal
AGENCY — BBH USA
- President — Tara Dowling
- Executive Creative Director — Jane Cronk
- Associate Creative Directors — Kenneth Foo, Adeline Siow
- Head of Production — Tasha Cronin
- Executive Producer — Alex DerHohannesian
- Client Partner — Shahnaz Shroff
- Account Director — Paul Vizzio
- Account Executive — Andrew Johnson
- Chief Strategy Officer — Tom Han
- Strategy Manager — Ben Bass
- Strategist — Heidi Kim
- Business Affairs Managers — Carie Bonillo, Mikey Addady
- Head of Program Management — Christian Portugal
PRODUCTION COMPANY — Hungryman New York
- Director — Ben Callner
- Managing Partners — Caleb Dewart, Kim Dellara
- Partner — Matt LeFebvre
- Executive Producer — Franchesca McDowell
- Head of Production — Marian Harkness
- Producer — Adam Callner
- Director of Photography — Mathias Schöningh
CASTING – Mann Casting
EDITORIAL — The Harbor Picture Company (US)
- Editors — Louis-Philippe Charette, Jordan Hahn, Amelia Connelly, Grace Clarke
- Head of Production — Shayna Rubin
- Executive Producers — Justin Kumpata, Cynthia Laplaige
POST PRODUCTION / VFX — The Harbor Picture Company (US)
- Creative Director — Andrew Pellicer
- Executive Producer — Jesse Schwartz
- Producers — Adean Gopala-Foster, Lauren Gray
- 2D Lead — John Yu
- Compositing — Liz Lyons, Katelyn Morancie
- Matte Painting — Itai Muller
- Motion Designer — Spencer Noble
COLOR — Company 3 New York
- Colorist — Sofie Borup
- Color Producer — Shannen Troup
SOUND — The Harbor Picture Company (US)
- Sound Mix — Steve Perski
- Sound Producer — Chris Cassar
- Executive Producer — Lauren Boyle
MUSIC — duotone audio group
- Chief Creative Officer — Peter Nashel
- Head of Music — Ross Hopman
- Creative Director — Giovonni Lobato
- Creative Producer — James Beer
- Licensing — Dana Hom
- Composer — Jordan Lieb
