Post Office targets new generation with ‘Holiday’ campaign fronted by Simon Bird
The Post Office has rolled out a travel campaign fronted by Inbetweeners start Simon Bird to “show rather than tell” a new generation of consumers how the brand has changed.
It is the first campaign to come from DLKW Lowe since the agency was appointed in November and is based on the insight that the Post Office’s travel service has everything needed to help consumers feel good before they go on holiday.
It picks up from where FCB Inferno left with the Post Office’s Christmas campaign, where comedian Robert Webb talked about the changes the brand had made across its branches. Moving it forward, this activity looked to put the “customer at the heart” to show how the experience has changed
Chief marketing officer Pete Markey told The Drum “In the past it’s been about us telling and talking. But we’re taking it to the next level so this campaign feels like enough of a companion piece but that it will draw more people in.”
The ad sees actor Simon Bird at his local Post Office picking up his travel money and, as the Post Office colleague behind the counter wishes him a happy holiday, his world is transformed as he roller-skates down a Californian promenade.
Bird was selected for his “universal appeal”, but he will be most familiar to the millennial generation thanks to his appearance in E4’s The Inbetweeners series, movies, and the Friday Night Dinner show.
Markey said that while the focus of this campaign – which plays out to Madonna’s Holiday – is in connecting with the “core” Post Office audience, he “absolutely wants to draw in a younger audience too.”
“When you start with a campaign like this you start with a list and work through a series of names,” explained Markey. “What became clear is Simon has universal appeal. He’s known and loved by many audiences. And when we tested it, even if you didn’t know him, his mannerisms draw you in.”
Bird has previously voiced campaigns for the likes of Train Line and Now TV, this is the first time he has appeared in front of the camera for a brand.
He said: "It’s a pleasure to be a part of this campaign and work with a well-loved national institution like the Post Office. I jumped at the chance to dust off my wheels and dip into my now-legendary portfolio of ice-cool, popping-fresh dance moves."
Beyond TV, the travel campaign will play out through nationwide print and in-store activity, social media, online and outdoor advertising.
Media buying has been handled by Mindshare.