adam&eveDDB’s Christmas commercial for toy retailer, The Entertainer, is so sad. But you will smile, maybe even laugh. The 60-second spot features a stuffed toy, Ray, that was once deeply loved by a child – but is loved no longer. A new toy passion, a remote-control monster truck, has taken its place. It ends with the tagline, or punchline if you will, “For the next love of their life.”
Ray sings a cover of Roxette’s power ballad, It Must Have Been Love, by established British indie musician, Baxter Dury. “We knew the music track would inform everything we did; the pace and performance so we had to get it just right,” stated Matt Gay & Feargal Ballance, creatives at adam&eveDDB. “And we were after genuine heart break, but with a smile. We wanted a voice that encapsulated Ray’s character, something not cute or twee, and knew early on we wanted Baxter Dury. A voice that was different perhaps to what you’d normally hear in a Christmas spot.”
The UK commercial launched online and went to air as a TVC on ITV1 on Saturday November 16, on ITV1 during a celebrity edition of The Chase.
The Entertainer has made sure that Ray won’t be lonely for long. The toy will be available for purchase in-store, and available on Moonpig.com, for a limited time for £12. Ray will also be taking over the toy aisles of Tesco, and is even featured as an easter egg in Tesco’s Christmas ad.
Caroline Smith, marketing director of The Entertainer, commented, “Our brief to adam&eveDDB was to get parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents and anyone else with a child in their life who’s obsessed with that one thing, to choose The Entertainer whenever they need to buy a toy. Their response was a strategy that is powerfully emotional, but with a streak of humour which will really give The Entertainer cut through during the Christmas advertising extravaganza.”
Richard Brim, chief creative officer of adam&eveDDB, added,“Kids are fickle little things but luckily The Entertainer is there to cater for their ever-changing ways. To tell this story we see it through the eyes of Ray, a once-favourite toy now sidelined by the child’s next new love.”
The campaign runs until December 24 across TV, BVOD, cinema, digital, and social platforms.
Credits:
Client: The Entertainer
Founder: Gary Grant
CEO: Andrew Murphy
Marketing Director: Caroline Smith
Strategic Customer Marketing Manager: Olivia Delnevo-Harrison
Brand Marketing Executive: Jemima Preston
Creative Agency: adam&eveDDB
Chief Creative Officer: Richard Brim
Creative Directors: Matt Gay & Feargal Ballance
Creatives: Matt Gay & Feargal Ballance
Social Creative: Molly Johnstone
Joint Head of Integrated Production & Producer: Sally Pritchett
Chief Strategy Officer: Martin Beverley
Planning Director: Catherine Willoughby
Chief Executive Officer: Miranda Hipwell
Business Director: Skye Gay
Account Director: Sophie Eyre, Cherith MacRitchie
Account Manager: Flora Hopewell
Project Manager: Tavie Agama, Charmaine Baley
Legal counsel: Candice Macleod, Tom Campbell
Business Affairs Manager: Edan Cummins
Media: OMD
Production Company: MJZ Productions
Design: King Henry Studios
Head of Design: Paul Knowles
Production Company: MJZ
Producer: James Waters
Production Manager: Davina Abrahams
1st AD: Benji Edwards
DOP: Anthony Dod Mantle
PD: Ben Ansell
Costume: Michelle May
Editing: Final Cut
Editor: Rick Russell
Edit Producer & Executive Producer: Nikki Porter
VFX: 1920
Creative Director & VFX Supervisor: Bill McNamara
VFX Supervisors: Mike Farar, Jamie Stitson, Jorge Montiel Meurer
VFX Producer: Ross Culligan
Colour Grading: Company 3
Colourist: Jean Clement
Colour Producer: Ellora Soret
Soundtrack: Baxter Dury & JGrrey, It Must Have Been Love
Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Ltd. on behalf of Jimmy Fun Music
Music Supervision: Leland
Music Supervisors: Abi Leland & Dhamirah Coombes
Arranger & Producer: Joel Cadbury
Sound: Factory Studios
Sound Design &Mmix: Anthony Moore
Sound producer: Beth Massey & Ciara Wakley
