Myer has heard the Christmas advertising starting gun before its competitors this year with a little festive Humbug via creative agency Clemenger BBDO.
The department store’s 2024 Christmas campaign, Share The Joy, centres on Humbug, a grumpy anti-hero who finds the usual festive lineup of carols, decorations and bright lights, too much for his sensitive soul.
Humbug, clearly a refence to the fictional character Ebenezer Scrooge in the Charles Dickens novella A Christmas Carol, can’t resist causing merry mayhem in the neighbourhood until an unlikely friend teaches him that no matter how you find joy, it’s always better when it's shared (even for the grinchiest among us).
“As a notorious humbug myself, I know too well how it feels to have to grimace your way through Christmas," said Adrián Flores, chief creative officer at Clemenger BBDO.
Myer launched its Christmas campaign last year about the same time but in general festive season advertising has been arriving early.
Research by the Australian Retailers Association shows a definite trend to shopping earlier, with many Australians trying to find value or a bargain to help with budget management.
The association expects Black Friday will be bigger than last year for that reason.
Most Australians plan to finalise their shopping lists by October (53%) and do the bulk of their shopping by November (58%), according to research by Shopify which surveyed 2,000 Australians.
“The ongoing hit to discretionary spending means consumers are being extremely strategic with their dollars, a reality reflected both at the till and in Shopify’s data,” said Paul Zahra, CEO at the Australian Retailers Association.
“Many discretionary retailers make the majority of their profits during the festive shopping season, but this evolution in consumer habits means they need to adapt how and when they prepare for an earlier gift purchasing period, accommodating customers who are searching for the best deals much earlier.”
Share the Joy this Christmas at Myer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2nloan0Hjw
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