Multiple agencies worked on the project, which took over six months to plan. Media agency Blue 449 came up with the idea and the integrated marcoms campaign has involved creative agency AMV BBDO, PR firm M&C Saatchi PR, social media agency 1000heads, digital out-of-home and data specialist Liveposter, and comms agency Posterscope.
The second phase of the campaign involves the participation of customers. An online entry form on the Currys PC World website allows anyone to input a personalised hint about what they would like for Christmas. They can also choose the ideal location for these hints to be displayed to help ensure that they are seen by the relevant friends or family members.
The retailer has committed to posting more than 2,000 bespoke hints in the run-up to Christmas across 500 locations. These will be deployed in a variety of formats using everything from hand-painted murals to ad vans and even specially recorded radio adverts featuring actor Jeff Goldblum.
For a select few, Currys PC World will post multiple hints across different locations so their loved one gets a chance to see several hints during a commute to work, for example.
The personalisation activity ties in with the Christmas TV adverts that Currys PC World has already been running featuring Goldblum.
Currys PC World is hoping that the personalisation aspect of the campaign differentiates it from other retailers including John Lewis, Harvey Nichols, Aldi and Tesco, which have all launched their seasonal campaigns.
Simon Dornan, head of PR at Dixons Carphone, told PRWeek that the retailer is already on its way to exceeding KPI targets.
"The success measures will of course be classic PR coverage, but also the excitement and buzz generated by our customers on social and how well it’s received by the media too," he said.
"No-one would have expected Currys PC World to be in the Christmas ad race; we knew it would stand out in creative execution, but the response from media and how positive the reviews have been in general are the real testament to our success."
