From toothbrushes to paper clips, Harvey Nichols’ special Christmas collection encourages people to buy “a little something” for their loved ones – so they can buy “a bigger something” for themselves. It taps into a growing trend: self-gifting.

Grandfathers have featured heavily in Christmas ads this year, but Pornhub is providing a slightly different image of your sweet, octogenarian relatives. The tongue-in-cheek ad is another safe for work piece of publicity from the famously cheeky porn hosting website.

The Korean wave phenomenon – also known ashallyu– has seen South Korean culture exported across the globe, and the nation’s beauty sector is now following in its wake. Having seen success domestically, Memebox intends to ride this wave to the US, bringing with it curated K-beauty boxes.

Storytelling has become a guiding principle for great marketing, letting companies neatly fit into consumers’ lives. But with one well-timed ad capable of changing someone’s shopping habits for years, how can brands address our milestone moments without seeming opportunistic?