David Jones launches joyful ‘Now It Feels Like Christmas’ campaign via TBWA Sydney and Maud
Christmas at David Jones officially launched today with the release of its integrated marketing campaign created by TBWA Sydney, Maud, Imagineer London, and the unveiling of the department store’s highly anticipated Christmas windows.
The star of the multi-channel campaign, entitled ‘Now It Feels Like Christmas’, is an expat Gingerbread Man, who, like thousands of Australians abroad, yearns for home, his family, and a warmer climate at this time of the year. His story is told in a 90-second film which is central to the campaign, following him as he embarks on an epic, heart-warming journey home, visiting landmark shopping destinations around the world on his journey.
Carefully selecting gifts for his loved ones at each stop, the Gingerbread Man narrowly avoids peril on a number of occasions before safely returning to his family in the iconic windows of David Jones.
Shot on location across Europe by the Sweet Shop’s Mark Albiston with Alt.vfx’s Colin Renshaw supervising the vfx, the computer generated character was brought to life by the Alt.vfx team in Sydney and Brisbane, in conjunction with Steve Sharp at Imagineer London.
The full length film has pride of place on David Jones’ high traffic Christmas Hub from today, as well as launching online (YouTube and Catch Up TV).
The ATL campaign will also feature on TV screens across Australia from Sunday 19th November, with 60-, 30- and 15- second edits running on Free-To-Air TV (Channel 7 & 9) and STV (Foxtel).
The Gingerbread Man’s joyous family reunion, and this sweet and fanciful Christmas tale designed to surprise and delight children and adults alike, can also be witnessed in the windows of the department store’s flagship Elizabeth Street store.
Complementing the brand campaign, the Gingerbread Man will be used as the central device in David Jones’ concurrently running gift-giving campaign, curating the best of local and the world for customers to assist with their gift selections. These executions will feature online, across print in Fairfax and News Corp newspaper and online on Facebook and affilliate sites.
The campaign will also be rolled out across Australasia in David Jones’ owned channels including the catalogue, instore visual merchandising, eDMs and online.
Says David Jones chief executive officer, David Thomas: “We’re proud to have been a destination for Australians who love Christmas for 179 years. This year’s campaign ‘Now It Feels Like Christmas’ aims to capture the role we play in an Australian Christmas, whilst also celebrating the importance of family and friends during the festive season. We hope that the campaign brings to life the excitement and joy of Christmas.”
Adds TBWA chief creative officer Andy DiLallo: “We wanted to give David Jones a campaign worthy of their iconic Australian brand stature. Christmas is a magical time of year, and this is a charming story that will connect with Australians of all ages.”
Customers can also see the Gingerbread Man brought to life in the David Jones Bakery in the Market Street Store, Bondi Junction, Wollongong, and Bourke Street Food Halls. From December, a charity version of the Gingerbread Man will be available at all David Jones stores in Australia including online, with all profits donated in support of David Jones Christmas 2017 Charity Partner, The Smith Family.
Creative agency: TBWA Sydney and Maud
Media: Carat
Brand Consultant: Steve Sharp, Imagineer London
Public Relations: David Jones
Production Company: The Sweet Shop
Director: Mark Albiston
Visual Effects & Animation: Alt.vfx
Vocal Artist: Xavier Rudd
30 Comments
Can’t wait to see a Gingerbread Man brought to life. AI really has come along way.
Feels a flat as a….. gingerbread man
So a deptartment store shows a ginger bread man making his way home while shopping at other stores along his journey? It’s like a Qantas ad done with a ginger bread man.
Does nothing for me and tells me absolutely nothing about David Jones. Maybe that they do okay window displays?
And thank you for using the most overused music track in Adland.
Very well put produced but disconnected from the brand.
Assume the link will be better established between now and Xmas.
Hopefully it won’t turn into one of those $1m+ brand spots followed by a bucket load of $1K retail spots because there was no money left in their kitty.
Just goes to show, money can’t buy you a good idea.
tastes vanilla
Watch-out for Sydney agencies.
Any image of Christmas windows can only mean Myer in Melbourne.
What was that all about?… and the use of the song that has nothing to do with Christmas or people getting together.
I felt nothing but bored. That looks like it had a budget too. Should have gone to an animation director.
cate blanchett
Somebody’s been watching this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB819Dau4Pc
“Stick man, stick man, beware of the dog…”
This is what happens when you give CG spots to live action directors.
They waste production time trying to direct like it’s live action and the final result suffers.
But hey looks like the agency got to go to Europe for a shoot, so, it’s a win as far as anyone there is concerned.
Money could have been better spent. I tell you what if I could go to any store in the world it wouldn’t be DJs, hey.
Preach.
You people are really question the craft??? Don’t need to like the spot but the execution is world class.
Please stop ripping me off.
Also I thought Australians had Christmas in summer down there? Why are you using European biscuits wearing scarves? It’s ok I can put my own logo on the end.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-evd9B-ZKg
Just sayin…
Take every xmas ad from the UK from the last few years, stir in a big budget and zero creativity and you’re left with this. Like a pastiche of a pastiche of a John Lewis ad. What a dull and predictable story too? Next.
The ad John Lewis rejects
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-evd9B-ZKg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-evd9B-ZKg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-evd9B-ZKg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-evd9B-ZKg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-evd9B-ZKg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-evd9B-ZKg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-evd9B-ZKg
Looks like a campaign built by a committee.
Yep, I saw that panda spot two weeks ago and now this!
What a nerve.
Some agencies have no shame.
that panda spot was released 1 month ago. You really think that the agency and client saw that spot in mid october, thought “lets copy that” and then wrote a script, got it approved, flew the world shooting all those locations and then crammed all that CG work into 3 weeks? #ignoranceisn’tbliss
Stick Man
The Gruffalo
Paddington Bear
The Littlest Hobo
Lassie
Midnight Cowboy
E.T
The Hobbit
Saving Private Ryan
I could go on…
Keep digging @Ripoff,
you’re doing an epic job at undermining this entire thread.
Confusing
I was so excited today being in Sydney and realising i had timed it perfectlyfor the Dj’s christmas display. I remembered coming into town with my parents 40 years ago to look at the windows and visit an exciting realm of christmas fantasy. I still have the heart of a child and scampered across the road to feel the excitement. What a disappointment … no North Pole, no reindeers, no santa … just no magic. What was most disappointing but even worse was seeing grandparents with little children coming to share the magic snd leaving with disappointed faces. Ginger bread man has no holds no significance of xmas for me, other than to eat. This was an iconic tradition that led many people in the past rifhr into your store … now people ate walking away with disappointment. Go back to your okd displays please or just don’t bother.
I love it. Always love a gingerbread man – gingerbread houses are very significant for Christmas 🎄. Cheer up people, I can’t wait to go into town & see the windows.
Brilliant!
Disappointed again with the trivial story and bland windows, also object to the emphasis on confectionery. Difficult for parents teaching healthy eating habits.
Hint: Start with a quality Christmas story by an Australian author and develop window ideas
there.