House of Fraser debuts ‘antidote to the festive fuzzy’ Christmas campaign on Instagram
House of Fraser has taken a new direction from previous years for its Christmas push with a music video-style ad for a campaign that will debut on Instagram.
Described as an ‘antidote to the festive fuzzy’, the high-energy spot is set to the track ‘You Don’t Own Me’ and shows an array of characters dancing to a routine choreographed by the dancer behind Justin Bieber’s latest video and directed by Ace Norton, who’s also worked on music videos for Jennifer Lopez and Scissor Sisters.
House of Fraser's director of brand and creative, Tony Holdway, explained: ‘This time of year is all about inspiring our customers to curate their own fashionable and bespoke Christmas, free from stress and brimming with ideas and individuality. Challenging the norm is exactly what we’ve tried to capture in this year’s multi-channel campaign and we hope it will encourage people to think far more openly and creatively this festive season. I think it’s a campaign like no other.’
Claiming a UK first, House of Fraser said it will premier the advert to the public tomorrow (17 November) on Instagram, ahead of its TV launch on 18 November in the ad break of Coronation Street. Following that it will be amplified through a multi-channel campaign encompassing in-store, social and online marketing.
Creative agency 18 Feet & Rising developed the concept while media is being handled by Goodstuff.
It's not the first brand to have moved away from the heart-tugging creative formula made popular by John Lewis, with Lidl, Debenhams and Mulberry all seeing merit in sending their Christmas messages out with a more humerous tone of voice.
Anna Carpen, creative director at 18 Feet & Rising added that the idea of House of Fraser's ‘Your Christmas, Your Rules’ work "isn’t about a postcard perfect December - nor is it anti-festive - we simply wanted to do something that would cut through the usual jingle bells.”