High-end Toronto mall Shops at Don Mills has launched a series of radio spots starring comedienne and former talk show host Joan Rivers.
The campaign includes four 30-second spots, two of which launch this week. In them, Rivers describes the stores, products and other attributes of Shops at Don Mills in her iconic croak. In one spot, for example, she oozes excitement about getting a massage at Donato’s Salon and Spa, while in another she talks shoes and points out that because Shops at Don Mills is an outdoor mall, “You can skydive in.”
A male announcer joins Rivers in the spot, name-checking stores such as Michael Kors and Anthropologie and delivering the campaign tag line, “A breath of fresh air,” at the conclusion of the spots.
Two additional radio spots, also starring Rivers, will hit airwaves in the fall.
Alan J. Gomez, marketing director for Shops at Don Mills, said Rivers’ humour and profile in the fashion world–she is known for her style commentary at Hollywood awards shows–qualified her to act as spokesperson for the mall.
“She’s really branded herself well and aligned herself with fashion by making the red-carpet critiques, and at the same time she has a bit of edge,” said Gomez. “We wanted the Joan Rivers piece to really stand out against the noise of other commercials. We feel that with such a distinctive voice, a distinctive character that still speaks fashion, it will stand out.”
Phil Sylver, creative director at the Toronto office of Extreme Group, which developed creative for the campaign, agreed that Rivers was a natural choice for the radio spots targeted to high-end shoppers.
“She’s always commenting on things that are fashionable,” said Sylver.
The radio spots follow a series of print ads that feature the work of Swedish fashion illustrator Mats Gustafson. Gustafson’s watercolour images of shoppers appear alongside copy such as, “Sunshine has been proven to increase wellness. Funny, we feel the same way about peep toes.” The “breath of fresh air” tag line appears at the bottom of each print execution.
For Gomez, the tag line reflects a creative strategy that emphasizes the uniqueness of the outdoor mall experience.
“We’re one of the few (outdoor malls) in Canada, and definitely in Ontario we’re the only one,” said Gomez. “We want to let people know that we’re a great destination and also a great neighbourhood shopping centre.”
The print ads, also developed by Extreme Group, launched in magazines such as Chatelaine in July. Online creative will also be launched in the coming weeks.
