Debenhams’ Christmas campaign is all about the joy of giving gifts

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Nov 7, 2018

Debenhams has recently revealed record annual losses and plans to close 50 stores amid challenging conditions in the UK retail market, but the department store chain tried to stay upbeat as it unveiled a cheerful Christmas campaign on Wednesday.

Shifting the attention from receiving gifts to that ‘nailed it’ moment when a gift giver finds the perfect present for their loved ones, the campaign is an evolution of the playful ‘do a bit of Debenhams’ platform which launched in September.

Although the full campaign launches on TV on 9 November during Gogglebox on Channel 4, Debenhams released several teasers online and on social media on Wednesday. Set against ‘Star’ by Kiki Dee, with voiceover by the star of Victoria, Dr Who and The Cry, Jenna Coleman, the ads show several gift givers experiencing a moment of joy while anticipating the other person’s excitement and reaction.

“Shoppers told us that the real joy of shopping comes from discovering the gift that you know the recipient is going to really love. We wanted to celebrate that moment,” said Richard Cristofoli, managing director of beauty and marketing.

“Department stores occupy a unique position in that they enable consumers to shop a variety of gifts under one roof – making it easy to find the perfect gift collection. With shoppers having to buy as many as 20 gifts for family and friends, we wanted to share a fist pump with the gifter rather than the giftee and celebrating those shoppers with the confidence of ‘do a bit of you know you did good’.”
 
To get in the holiday spirit, the department store chain will open Christmas markets in over 70 stores across the UK to showcase its premium gifting offer.
 
Located in a dedicated store space, the markets will feature festive huts with curated gift collections arranged by the interests of the recipient. The markets will aim to enhance the in-store shopping experience, and will be supported by a series of independent food and drink pop-ups, such as gin bars and ice-cream stands.