David Jones' Christmas campaign is the retailer's most important marketing tool of the year. But this year, neither its current or incoming creative agencies, M&C Saatchi and Whybin TBWA respectively, are doing the work. It's being handled in the US.
The upmarket retailer has recruited New York-based agency Chandelier to work on the concept and main creative assets. Chandelier, started by two Australian brothers, has history with a bunch of high profile US retail brands including Nordstrom, Bergdorf Goodman, Williams-Sonoma and Anthropologie.
David Jones' general manager of marketing Adriane McDermott admitted it was an unusual arrangement but stressed it was all down to timing: Its recently concluded creative pitch meant the brand didn't want to undermine its most important marketing campaign of the year.
“It was an interim solution for our agency tender and I'm more than pleased with the results. We took it offline to Chandelier and it's not something we normally do,” she told AdNews. “Two Australian brothers run it and they have an intimate knowledge about the market and approached us to work with us. It's an agency that works with the Bergdorf Goodman and Nordstrom which will help us get more in touch with our comparative sets internationally.”
McDermott said it was a one-off for the brand and Whybin would handle its creative going forward. She said it had been a collaborative process and Whybin would pick up some of the Christmas work.
M&C Saatchi lost the account last month. The tender was first reported in March, with the seven agencies pitching quickly whittled down to three and then two in June.
When asked if Chandelier was part of the creative agency tender at any point, McDermott said “not necessarily”. The agency didn't have a Sydney office, she said, so that would have knocked them out. She said that Chandelier had been appointed to the Christmas campaign “months” ago.
A shoot for the Christmas campaign took place in New York at the end of July with David Jones ambassador Jessica Gomes. Two images from the shoot are on Chandelier's Instagram feed.
Chandelier worked with David Jones' local production partner, Mondo, on the campaign.
Whybin will officially take over the account on 1 September.
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