Woolworths is taking a rose-tinted view of Christmas in new seasonal
advertising which presents its stores as more than just places to find
cheap stocking fillers.
The chain is upping its spend to almost pounds 4 million for this year’s
blitz through Bates Dorland in which a series of romanticised Christmas
card scenes spring to life under the theme of ‘Woolies’ winter
wonderland’.
A Victorian coaching scene, a fairy glade, a Norman Rockwell-style
child’s bedroom on Christmas Eve and a festive squirrel in a tree are
among the featured images.
The sentimentality is heightened by a specially arranged version of the
song, Walking in a Winter Wonderland, which forms the soundtrack of the
commercials.
Carole Butler, the Woolworths board account director at Dorlands, said:
‘Christmas can be a time of stress and family tensions. This advertising
is a taste of what we think Christmas used to be like and what we hope
it will be.’
Directed through Beechurst by Vadim Jean, the 50-, 40- and 30-second
films were written by Roland Hafenrichter and art directed by Nils
Andersson.
As in last year’s campaign, the ads, which broke nationally on
Wednesday, will be placed by Zenith Media to dominate single breaks.