Freemans is breaking new ground this holiday season with its earliest-ever Christmas campaign, commencing over a week ahead of last year and marking a historic milestone in the 118-year history of this fully digitalized department store retailer.
In preparation for the critical Golden Quarter trading period, Freemans presents the latest edition of its ‘Made You Look’ advertising campaign, tailored for Christmas. Premiering 10- and 20-second ads from October 28 to December 15, these ads will grace prominent shows on ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5, including cherished series like Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Yorkshire Vet, Home & Away, and Julia Bradbury’s Irish Journey.
This year, Freemans ventures into regional ‘out of home’ activity for the first time, in addition to extensive digital campaign amplification across all owned digital channels. Notably, the retailer is making significant investments in paid channels, including YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook.
As the campaign’s title suggests, ‘Made You Look’ is designed to captivate and engage with its punchy, vibrant, energetic, relatable, down-to-earth, and exciting creative. This approach is aimed at standing out and compelling viewers to take a second glance. It celebrates a wide range of offerings that cater to the diverse needs of families during the holiday season.
The campaign highlights various products, including partywear, footwear, knitwear, handbags, festive pajamas, socks, and perfumes. The ad’s unique execution culminates with the tagline ‘Freemans.com – Fashion, Beauty, Home, Gifts.’
Freemans’ objective is to expand its existing customer base, attract new shoppers, and break away from traditional catalog methods while increasing its market share.
In the digital out-of-home arena, Freemans continues its ‘stop and look at me’ approach.
Richard Cristofoli, Chief Customer Officer at Freemans, emphasized the changing customer behavior, stating, «Customers are actively seeking Christmas home, party, and gift ideas earlier than ever due to the rising cost of living. Hence, we made the decision to kickstart Christmas at Freemans earlier than ever before.»
This early move allows Freemans to showcase its extensive offerings in a captivating manner, maintaining the momentum generated by the well-received ‘Made You Look’ AW23 campaign, which has not only increased site visits but also attracted new customers.
This Christmas campaign builds on Freemans’ announcement from September when the retailer fully transitioned to a digital platform and discontinued its paper catalog. Simultaneously, Freemans introduced a fresh look and feel, centered around the ‘Made You Look’ concept. This transition led to a remarkable 23% increase in site visitors compared to the week before the launch.
