With AI, local aesthetics and original music, the piece highlights the emotion of coming together during year-end gatherings in the city.
In every office, every group, every family, the same scene repeats itself: someone draws a little piece of paper, reads it quickly and hides it. No one says anything, but everyone knows what it means. The Secret Santa begins—and with it, the end-of-year farewells.
This year, Tienda Inglesa chose to pay tribute to that deeply Uruguayan tradition with a different proposal: Invisible, a four-minute animated short set in Montevideo. The innovative piece blends emotion and technology to celebrate what truly matters: coming together again.
Invisible turns Montevideo into a living story. The city appears from a fresh perspective: Palacio Salvo, the Puerta de la Ciudadela, the Punta Carretas rambla, the Buceo port, Plaza Zabala, Parque Rodó, 18 de Julio Avenue, Malvín beach, and the Tienda Inglesa store at Montevideo Shopping all form part of a journey that mixes local identity, action and an everyday sensitivity that anchors the narrative.
To create the piece, Tienda Inglesa brought together a team of artificial intelligence and 3D post-production specialists led by Olga Lee, one of the country’s most renowned audiovisual producers. One of the project’s most striking aspects is its ability to showcase animation filled with real-world detail. “The work was developed from real photographs of each location, which allowed us to recreate every place with precision and a contemporary visual style,” explained Mario Taglioretti, director of Publicis Ímpetu, Tienda Inglesa’s advertising agency.
Taglioretti also highlighted the music that drives the story. “The piece features a song by Franny Glass titled El amor anda suelto, performed by the artist and Lucía Lucía in a version recorded especially for the film. Every detail aims for realism and everyday familiarity; even on the radio that accompanies the protagonist, you can hear the voice of journalist Federico Buysan introducing his morning show.”
The campaign goes beyond the short film. Tienda Inglesa developed a free, open digital platform that allows people to create groups and play Secret Santa directly through WhatsApp. The system also suggests gift ideas based on the brand’s product catalog, making the experience more accessible, agile and entertaining for everyone.
“In an age of screens and hyper-connection, Invisible proposes something essential: truly seeing each other again,” said Pablo Rego, Marketing Manager at Tienda Inglesa. “The message highlights the value of year-end gatherings—those born from laughter, games and face-to-face conversations. More than a campaign, it’s an invitation to reconnect with what brings us together, because during the holidays, the best of us comes out,” he concluded.
