Well, here's the thing, it does not take much to do a good ad. Take for example the case of the new Exotica Christmas ad where - almost nothing happens. Am serious. Look at the ad here. Just a family coming together for the Christmas dinner (in Lebanon Christmas is celebrated mainly by the dinner on the 24th). Believe it or not, almost nothing happens in that slice of life. The son and daughter in law come to their parents' place. There's bantering, piano playing, the kids unveiling the Christmas tree, one of the classic Lebanese power cuts (most likely generator cuts!) and barely, barely any Exotica products (which, for your info sells mainly plants - and during the festive period - ornaments).
It's the tone of voice, the direction, the art direction, the casting, the feel of the ad that sets it apart. You can picture yourself there, you can say "despite everything happening in Lebanon this could be a typical family celebrating the festivities".
What the ad does is "plante la joie" which is the original premise of Exotica (here).