Every year, gift givers face the same test – proving they actually know the person they’re shopping for. When the pressure is on, too many resort to the last-minute grab, the one-size-fits-all, the safe-but-thoughtless choice…the scented candle.
This year, jewellery brand, Zales, and Anomaly are taking aim at that most over-gifted item of all time, with a collection of candles that mock candle gifts and a lineup of foolproof gifts that range from candle-priced pieces to timeless classics with something for everyone.
Driven by Saturday Night Live and Father of the Bride actress, Chloe Finemen, the curation will help ensure that everyone is saved from vanilla-scented vanilla gifts. The photography to support the activation shows candles with cheeky names like “Smells like it should have been jewelry,” “Smells like it’s not jewelry,” and “Smells like a regift,” and are decorated in red and purple design to encapsulate the holiday season. Influencers will receive boxes wrapped like presents, each including a candle with a cheeky message calling for everyone to shop from Zales, not the last-minute panic aisle these holidays. The collection is now live across paid social and Zales’ owned channels.
The work launches on the heels of Zales most recent holiday campaign, It’s Decorating Season, that launched last month and included a digital video placement on Taylor Swift’s album release page on YouTube.
The work builds off Zales’ new brand platform, Own It, that launched earlier this year, that encompasses a larger brand transformation for Zales – modernising Zales through a refreshed visual identity and brand tone, refined in-store and web experience, product innovation, new cultural partnerships, and a revamped social media and communications strategy.
“We wanted to work with Chloe because she embodies confidence, creativity, and humour, qualities that perfectly align with how we see today’s jewellery lovers,” stated Lisa Laich, chief marketing officer at Zales parent, Signet. “She brings a fresh perspective to gifting and a reminder that jewellery should be fun, meaningful, and uniquely yours.”
“We wanted to spotlight the all-too-familiar moment when holiday gifting turns into grabbing the same old scented candle. So we decided to have a little fun with it.” added Ida Gronblom, ECD at Anomaly. “The photography leans into that truth with candles labelled ‘Smells like it should have been jewelry’ and ‘Smells like a regift,’ reminding people that a meaningful gift doesn’t come from the clearance aisle – it comes from actually knowing someone. And that’s where jewellery wins every time.”
