Toronto agency Zulu Alpha Kilo has worked some “Holidata” magic for The Bay in its first work for the iconic Canadian retailer.
Beginning in mid-November and concluding last weekend, the retailer sent out a series of premium “books” that served as an informal countdown to the holiday season while highlighting some of its key products.
One of the first books featured a cover image of a woman applying lipstick using a toaster–a Cuisinart in chrome or black, on sale for $63.99–as a mirror, accompanied by the message “Warning: the holidays may be closer than they appear.” A later piece featured a cover image of two women breaking open a Christmas cracker to reveal a man clad in upscale attire.
Zulu president and creative director Zak Mroueh said the goal was to communicate “whimsy,” “sophistication” and “intelligence.” Each cover was shot by New York fashion photographer Danielle Levitt, whose work has appeared in publications including The New York Times Magazine and GQ.
Each book–which ranged in size from 20 to 28 pages–also featured “Holidata” that presented holiday facts using a series of humorous charts and graphs. One pie chart broke down the likely fate of fruit cake with segments such as “re-gifted next year,” “pet rock” and “door stopper,” with a tiny sliver devoted to “eaten.”
About 2.6 million of the books were distributed to young urban professionals 35-45 in Canada’s major markets using The Globe and Mail and National Post. The books were also available in Bay stores.
“These are hard-working pieces–they do a lot of selling, but they also do something for the brand,” said Mroueh. “You get a feeling of what The Bay stands for, you get the sense that this is an interesting and cool brand, and you get an array of products.”
