https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKO2nN28X4Q
“3 KIDS. 1 DOG. AND AN EPIC QUEST TO LIGHT A RIDICULOUSLY GIANT TREE.”
The holidays have always been a magical time for children and parents alike, but they’ve also resembled massive sales for retailers around the world – beginning on Black Friday. Last year’s Black Friday sales represented $50.9 billion in sales revenue, a massive number which retailers cannot afford to miss out on. In today’s cluttered advertising world, retailers are consistently competing for customers’ attention. So how are retailers innovating their holiday campaigns to wow their customers?
Target has switched its focus to target the most influential customers for the holidays: children. For the 2015 holiday season Target renounced traditional advertisement practices and created “the Holiday Odyssey” to transport kids through a unique holiday adventure. The story is narrated by Neil Patrick Harris and amplifies the holiday magic through great storytelling – 3 kids on a quest to light a giant Christmas tree, alongside Lego characters, Barbies, and more.
Target CMO, Jeff Jones, commented on the campaign saying: ” we’ll aim to excite the kid in all of us, create powerful cultural and family moments during the season, and deliver extraordinary value and easy shopping experiences”; and that is exactly what they’ve achieved.
This campaign embodies everything Christmas and allows kids to have an interactive experience – digitally. To amplify this campaign, Target has also launched the kid’s “wishlist” app, where kids can write letters to Santa, build a wish list, and play exciting games. This campaign includes 12 commercials airing on TV and social media, with a physical Wonderland store opening in New York.
Once again we see storytelling being used strategically. This campaign is not only successful because of its magical storyline but also because of the ability to engage. Kids and their parents are able to have 2-way conversations with Target, and even bring this story to life in the New York Wonderland store.
Sources:
http://digiday.com/brands/three-brands-thinking-outside-box-holiday-season/
http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/target-takes-consumers-a-toy-filled-odyssey-holidays/301143/
http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/targets-holiday-campaign-brings-magical-story-life-across-tv-digital-and-its-stores-168113