Harvey Nichols is doing its bit to help us avoid giving the gift of awkward in its cringeworthy Christmas campaign.
Harvey Nichols is doing its bit to help us avoid giving the gift of awkward in its cringeworthy Christmas campaign.
The campaign channels a seasonal scenario we can all relate to – that moment when you strain your face into the grimacing picture of gratitude as you realise you've just received the last thing you'd ever want as a Christmas present.
In it, a young woman makes a valiant effort to appear pleased as she is bombarded with a slew of truly awful gifts by well-meaning relatives.
Want to avoid inducing or being forced to pull #GiftFace this Christmas? Shop with Harvey Nichols, the ad spot tells us.
It's bound to chime with many. According to AdWeek, 72% of UK adults admitted to pulling a #GiftFace in an attempt to preserve the feelings of an ultimately misguided gift-giving friend or relative at Christmas.
But it's also quite similar to the ad campaigns rolled out by electronic's retailer Currys PC World, another major UK brand.
Currys PC World was the first to unveil its campaign, which stars American actor Jeff Goldblum.
In five ads, Goldblum coaches gift recipients on how to pretend to like their presents – such as a 1,000 piece jigsaw of baked beans.
What do you think? Will the instinct to avoid inducing #GiftFace send shoppers running to Harvey Nichols or will viewers get bored of the concept being peddled by not one but two major brands? Leave your thoughts below ...
Creative: adam&eveDDB
