The Source has brought its “I Want That” tagline to life with “The Source Genie,” a new campaign featuring a helpful employee who magically appears when someone sees a new gadget and declares “I want that.”
Developed by the brand’s creative agency of record, Juniper Park, the campaign consists of a 30-second TV spot, “Backyard Monster Superstar,” running in English Canada on both conventional and specialty channels, as well as online pre-roll.
The decision to forgo typical consumer electronics industry advertising—customer enters the store and is greeted by eager employees asking “What can I help you with?”—was a deliberate attempt to illustrate the idea that, with more than 700 stores across the country, The Source literally is everywhere, said Ron Craig, vice-president of marketing for The Source.
The campaign targets the under-35 demographic and is designed to appeal to both male and female consumers. It’s also an effort to re-position the brand as a convenient one-stop shop for the latest in technology and gadgets that’s different from big box competitors.
“One of the things we’re trying to do with the brand is break through and change the perception of the old Radio Shack image,” said Craig. “You see the product being used in everyday situations, not in your typical store environment, to get a sense of how technology interweaves with people’s lives.”
He added that the campaign also re-enforces a couple of benefits of shopping at The Source. “We are literally everywhere, and in this execution The Source appears wherever you are. And also the knowledgeable, helpful Source guy, which is a real advantage we have over big box or mass merchant competitors,” he said.
So far, “Backyard Monster Superstar” is the sole element of the campaign, but is part of a “new creative direction” for The Source, said Craig. More work supporting “The Source Genie” is expected to roll out in the next few months.
PHD handled the media buy for the campaign. “The Source Genie” launched last week and will run until the end of May.
