The Warehouse Group has been trying to bring the real world and the online world closer together recently, with its recent rebrand of R&R Sport to the ‘omni-channel’ Torpedo 7, its Click Madness promotion, free wifi in its newly refurbished stores and an app that lets shoppers compare prices instore. Now it’s launching its Christmas campaign with a five minute online video that shows what happens when you put the decision-making in the hands of the experts: the kids.
The clip by DDB and Exposure asks a selection of young people what they’d like to give their family this Christmas and shows them preparing their lists and then taking over The Warehouse Royal Oak. Just like its previous efforts with Toy Testers and The Warehouse Challenge, the kids are not actors, but were chosen from local primary schools.
Traditionally, The Warehouse communications over Christmas have focused on pushing its price offering. And while that’s still the case, it’s attempted to add another, more emotional layer.
“We wanted to capture the magic of Christmas through the eyes of Kiwi kids,” says Nikki McKelvie, DDB’s group business director. “Letting 80 kids loose in a store was brave, but the result is heartfelt and honest, which we hope demonstrates the true meaning of Christmas; thinking about friends and family and how to make their Christmas great.”
It’s also a good way to show off the new stores. The business has reached the 70 percent milestone for the mass-refurbishment of its stores nationwide, with 46 stores completed since 2012, and a further 12 set to be completed in 2015. All branches also have more staff on the floor, and these improvements have helped it secure more top brands (it sells Bonds, Lego, Acer, Sony and Apple, among many others).
“This year we wanted to make sure that The Warehouse was at the top of the list as the best Christmas shopping destination,” says Lorraine Breheny, general manager of marketing for The Warehouse. “Christmas is about bringing people together, reuniting families, celebrating and rewarding each other. And what better brief could we have given DDB to create a new Christmas campaign? You’ll still get a bargain, and now you’ll remember the joy of these kids while shopping for one.”
The film features on www.thewarehouse.co.nz and acts as the official Christmas launch for the retailer. Over the coming weeks, a series of shorter 60” and 30” TVC brand ads will run that point to the longer film online and these are being supported by multiple retail executions.
Sainsbury’s took a similarly emotional approach for its Christmas campaign last year. Inspired by Oscar-winning director Kevin Macdonald and producer Ridley Scott’s Life In A Day, the 45 minute film, which was released in cinemas, follows a bunch of regular folk celebrating Christmas day, all of whom sent in footage.
According to the Daily Mail, Macdonald, who also directed Touching the Void and The Last King of Scotland, received more than 360 hours of footage from all over the UK to turn into the finished documentary and ads.
CREDITS:
Agency – DDB
Chief Creative Officer – Damon Stapleton
Executive Creative Director – Shane Bradnick
Creative Director – Mark Lorrigan
Digital Creative Director – Haydn Kerr
Producer – Rob Linkhorn
Group Business Director – Nikki McKelvie
Account Director – Crystal Clark
Account Manager – Victoria Evitts
Account Executive – Luke Dexter
Planning Director – Rupert Price
Planner – Jamie Barrett
Client – The Warehouse
GM Marketing – Lorraine Breheny
Marketing Manager Communications – Chas Ort
Communications Team Manager – Sonya Wilkinson
Category Communications Manager – Katherine Ryan
Film Company – Exposure
Director – Tim Parsons
Producer – Jess Milne
Music – Liquid Studios
Online – Toybox
Graphics – Kaleidoscope