Debenhams has launched its Christmas marketing campaign ‘Found It’, which promotes its gifting offer for the festive season.
The move is a switch from the fashion focus that the department store had in previous campaigns. Debenhams boss Michael Sharp told Retail Week last month that gifting would be a key growth area this Christmas and that it is seeking to become a “destination for gifting”.
The retailer’s multi-million pound ad campaign launched with 5-second teasers during The X Factor and Downton Abbey last night but the full 60 second creative made its YouTube debut yesterday.
It will be shown in full on TV during The X Factor on Saturday November 8.
The ad, which features Paul McCartney’s 1984 single “We All Stand Together”, celebrates the emotion of finding the perfect gift for a loved one and features a group of children hiding out in store after hours as they search each department for their perfect gift.
It culminates with Meadow, a six-year-old girl, finding a cuddly Reindeer toy and the end screen frame reads ‘Found It’ and ‘Find Your Fabulous Christmas at Debenhams’.
Online delivery service
The ad also promotes Debenhams’ new online delivery services. It has launched next-day home delivery when you order by 10pm and free next-day click-and-collect from store.
Debenhams’ delivery proposition was a contributor to its poor Christmas last year as shoppers searched elsewhere for convenient delivery.
Debenhams marketing director Richard Cristofoli said: “This year, the Found It campaign is about so much more than a TV ad – though we’re very proud of the ad we’ve created.”
“A multi-channel world requires a multimedia campaign so it’s much about the outdoor, print, online and social media activity as it is about the TV.”
The campaign includes the distribution of three million gift guides featuring over 750 gifts, 1.4 million toy brochures and an online gift finder solution.
Cristofoli said: “Our customers love shopping and discovering new things – every element of the campaign is designed to help them find the perfect gift and celebrate that moment with them.”
The retailer will have ‘Found It’ window displays, in-store ‘hot spots’, gift cards and swing tags delivering over 120 gift messages.
Cristofoli said that this year’s TV ad cost about a third of last year’s. He said: “It’s about delivering a really engaging campaign and using our investment sensibly across every element of the campaign – including an improved online gift finder and creating a better Christmas atmosphere in our stores.”
The campaign also includes a social media element with the retailer encouraging consumers to share their #FoundIt selfies, taken after they’ve found the perfect gift, on foundit.co.uk for a chance to win £1,000 of gift card prizes and appear on cover-wrap advertising of the Metro newspaper.
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