Future Shop is highlighting (Nintendo 3DS) the season’s most sought-after electronics items (PlayStation 3) in a new holiday-themed (Canon T3 Rebel) campaign that experiments with so-called “subliminal” advertising.
Developed by agency of record Cossette with media from Media Experts and PR support from Citizen Optimum, Future Shop’s tongue-twisting “Holidays’ Most Must-Haves” campaign will span TV, cinema, print, radio and online.
Director of marketing Nikki Hellyer said that the English and French campaign, which kicked off Nov. 4 and will continue through the end of December, has two primary objectives: to create top-of-mind awareness for Future Shop during the key sales period, and foster engagement with consumers on platforms such as Facebook.
“The key metric there is engagement,” said Hellyer. “It’s not about the number of followers, it’s about how engaged our communities are.”
The latter objective is being spearheaded by an online initiative called the “Giftertiser,” which will enable users to embed “subliminal” advertising for one of 10 hot holiday electronics items in a viral video that they can send to family and friends.
Users of the Giftertiser–which debuts Nov. 18 and will be housed at FutureShop.ca/Giftertiser–can choose between a “subtle” and “overt” message for items such as the Nintendo 3DS or PlayStation 3, which will then be spliced into one of four existing videos consisting of typical viral video fare like cute kittens or funny kids.
“It’s a fun way to wrap up something entertaining with something functional–which is telling people what you want for Christmas,” said Hellyer.
In addition to two 30-second TV spots, a 15-second cinema spot and radio ads, Future Shop has also produced three themed catalogues–“Stylish Living and Appliances,” “Holiday Gift Guide” and one focused on cellular products–that will be distributed in magazines including Chatelaine, Canadian House & Home, Coup de Pouce, The Hockey News and Hello!
The mobile-focused catalogue, meanwhile, will be featured in Future Shop’s in-house magazine Cellshop, which is carried in-store and distributed through newspapers including the Toronto Star, Vancouver Sun, La Presse, enRoute and Maclean’s.
The creative insight behind the campaign, said Hellyer, is that Future Shop can help Canadians avoid the stress of holiday shopping by letting them know which items are on people’s most wanted list for the holidays.
“We know that people who are buying gifts want to have the knowledge that the people receiving them are going to be excited about what they’re getting,” said Hellyer. “We wanted to show Future Shop as taking some of that guesswork out of how to buy the best holiday gifts by giving confidence to consumers that we have the most exciting gifts and must-haves all in one store.”
The campaign is also being supported by in-store signage, rich media banners and e-newsletter advertising.
Media buying for the campaign is focused on the broad adults 25-54 demo. While the retailer’s advertising is typically more male skewed, its holiday campaigns are equally focused on both sexes, said Hellyer.
