There is no question that one of the roles of the holiday season is bringing people together. This year that role isn’t important, it’s essential. US clothing brand, L.L. Bean has excelled in its role of supporting the holiday season with a campaign by Day One Agency that makes you want to reach out to someone, even just to say hi. L.L. Bean is encouraging people to give the best present of all – presence.

Behind the emotive campaign is the idea that the best gifts bring us closer to the world around us and the people who matter most.

Each film is built around a voicemail – a small gift in itself – playing over a single unbroken shot:

• Through a frosty window, a young girl spots the first snowfall of the year, and she and her mom run outside in their L.L.Bean parkas to catch it.

• A man walks his dog at dawn in his L.L.Bean field coat and Bean boots while his pregnant wife leaves a voicemail weighing baby names.

• Around a campfire, a voicemail from a man’s brother lands with one simple line, “Mom would have loved this.”

The films were produced by Day One and filmed entirely in a single shot by director, Janssen Powers, of RESET. Each captures a small moment that conveys a big emotion. What’s simple about them is exactly what makes them work.

Strategically, holiday is a priority business moment for L.L.Bean. The campaign positions the brand as the ultimate holiday gifting destination and reframes brands such as Bean Boot, the Boat and Tote and its Scotch Plaid Flannels as gifts that lead to moments of meaningful time together with loved ones.

The full campaign is running across linear and connected TV with a significant live sports presence, plus social, creator partnerships, podcast live reads, in-store, catalogue and L.L.Bean.com. It marks Day One’s second holiday campaign for the brand with post-production by Day One Agency’s in-house production arm, Day One Studios.