Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Commuters were stunned as gift-laden yetis sped through the streets of London last week to mark the launch of Argos’ new Christmas TV ad campaign.
The retailer has turned to speed, adrenaline and excitement for its 2016 festive push. Last Friday (November 4) Argos unveiled its ‘Christmas Yetis’ advert, which features five 8ft tall, neon yetis, hurtling through the streets of a snowy town on ice skates to deliver Christmas goods at extraordinary speed. The aim of the promotion is to reflect the speed of Argos’ same day Fast Track Delivery and Fast Track Collection services.
Stephen Vowles, marketing director at Argos, said: “What we love about this fast-paced campaign is that it beautifully captures the spirit of excitement and anticipation surrounding Christmas.
“Fun-loving and friendly, these larger than life, speeding yetis colourfully bring to life the role that Argos hopes to play for families nationwide this Christmas – and the skill, speed and precision that make us market leaders, with our same day Fast Track Delivery and Fast Track Collection services.”
The advert was shot on a skating track in the centre of Warsaw, and stars five semi-professional ice skaters as the yetis. Based on the folklore that yetis move twice as fast as the average human, the Argos yetis collect, play with and deliver Argos products as they go, from Beats headphones, Virtual Reality headsets and Dyson vacuum cleaners to Fitbit, GoPro and Furby products.
A team of award-winning special effects experts from Animated Extras built the yetis (each costing £30,000 to create) over three months at Shepperton Studios in Surrey.
The orange yeti is Peter Hallam: twice British Figure Skating Champion and holder of five international gold medals as well as two silver medals at the Senior British Figure Skating Championships.
The remaining blue, pink, green and purple yetis are played by George Southall (blue), who is recognised as one of the best amateur freestyle skaters in the UK; professional Adrian Jack (pink), a principal in Disney on Ice; and professional ice hockey players Brad Slade (green) and Kevin McGlynn (purple).
The campaign will be supported by print, video-on-demand, paid digital, social content and appearances of the Yetis in public, plus an in-store competition. It follows Argos’ 2015 ‘Just Can’t Wait for Christmas’ campaign, in which skiing and snowboarding champions showcased their speed and skill on a mountainside at Chile’s Valle Nevado ski resort.
