In the sea of back-to-school TVCs in the UK, one is going to stand out this year. It’s AMV BBDO’s spot for George at Asda, supermarket chain, Asda’s, fashion and home department. Its premise is that there’s nothing like children’s imaginations to put school uniforms to the test and it illustrates that by showing imagination at play. A game of hide and seek in a school playground is transformed into a game of escape the monster. It’s a safe bet that every parent’s own childhood nostalgia will be ignited.
The “creatives” behind the film, Clothes Built For Their Imagination, were real children, the “George Class of 2019”. AMV BBDO and asked them to share their favourite playground game, with the unanimous decision being tag. They were then asked to help to design a tag monster that was not only kid-friendly, but true to something they’d imagine.
“We took the most popular themes, and used them to design a unique monster for the screen.” stated AMV BBDO art director, Andy Clough.
The resulting thirty-second film was directed by Traktor, with Electric Theatre Collective providing the post and animation on the monster.
When the film was completed, a panel of children was consulted to ensure that the monster was something they’d imagine and the game was true to something they’d play.
“The ad had to make sense if you didn’t see the monster, but with the girl in its place,” explained creative director, Richard McGrann. It got a resounding thumbs up.
The campaign’s print and digital adverts also draw on children’s imaginations, sharing glimpses into the inner thoughts, hopes and dreams of kids at school. A climbing frame becomes Mt Everest, the school walk is a catwalk and keeping a clean shirt is NOT a priority…
The campaign also shows off the quality, style and durability of the George school uniform, as well as key products from this year’s range.
The TVC advert launched in Scotland on the July 27 and will extend to the rest of the UK from Saturday August 10.
Credits:
Creative Agency: AMV BBDO
Creative Director: Alex Grieve
Copywriter: Richard McGrann
Art Director: Andy Clough
Planners: Sam Williams & Sam Guinivan
Account Team: Bobbie Gannon, Anusha Subeathar, Gemma Troup & Rhe Petgrave
Business Affairs: Tony Price
Producers: Verity Elvin & Lucia Fioravanti
Media Agency: Blue
Production Company: Stink / Traktor
Director: Sam Larsson
XLab: Anthony Eagle, Claire Gordon-Webster & Michelle Walton
Producer: Richard Ulfvengren
Post-production Company: Electric Theatre Collective
Audio Post-production: Wave
Client: George at Asda
Senior Director Customer Comms, George Fashion, Home and Events: Sara Bates
George Campaign & Content Manager: Paige Martin
George Fashion & Home, Head of Creative: Aisha Jakhura
Asda Senior Production Manager, Food Comms: Julia Miller
Food Comms Production Coordinator: Amy Kennedy