Christmas at David Jones officially launched today with the release of its integrated marketing campaign created by TBWA Sydney, Maud, Imagineer London, and the unveiling of the department store’s highly anticipated Christmas windows.

The star of the multi-channel campaign, entitled ‘Now It Feels Like Christmas’, is an expat gingerbread man who, like thousands of Australians abroad, yearns for home, his family, and a warmer climate at this time of the year.

His story is told in a 90-second film which is central to the campaign, following him as he embarks on an epic, heart-warming journey home, visiting landmark shopping destinations around the world on his journey.

Carefully selecting gifts for his loved ones at each stop, the gingerbread man narrowly avoids peril on a number of occasions before safely returning to his family in the iconic windows of David Jones.

Shot on location across Europe by the Sweet Shop’s Mark Albiston, with Colin Renshaw supervising the visual effects, the computer-generated character was brought to life by the Alt.vfx team in Sydney and Brisbane, in conjunction with Steve Sharp at Imagineer London.

The ful-length film has pride of place on David Jones’ high-traffic Christmas hub from today, launching online via YouTube and catch-up TV also.

The ATL campaign will also feature on TV screens across Australia from Sunday 19 November, with 60-, 30- and 15-second edits running on Channel Seven and Nine, as well as on Foxtel.

The gingerbread man’s joyous family reunion can also be witnessed in the windows of the department store’s flagship Elizabeth Street store.

Complementing the brand campaign, the gingerbread man will be used as the central device in David Jones’ concurrently running gift-giving campaign, curating the best of local and the world for customers to assist with their gift selections.

These executions will also feature across print in Fairfax and News Corp newspapers, and online on Facebook and affilliate sites.

Furthermore, the campaign will be rolled out across Australasia in David Jones’ owned channels, including the catalogue, in-store visual merchandising, EDMs and online.

David Jones CEO David Thomas said: “We’re proud to have been a destination for Australians who love Christmas for 179 years.

“This year’s campaign, ‘Now It Feels Like Christmas’, aims to capture the role we play in an Australian Christmas, whilst also celebrating the importance of family and friends during the festive season.

“We hope that the campaign brings to life the excitement and joy of Christmas.”

TBWA chief creative officer Andy DiLallo said: “We wanted to give David Jones a campaign worthy of their iconic Australian brand stature. Christmas is a magical time of year, and this is a charming story that will connect with Australians of all ages.”

Customers can also see the gingerbread man brought to life in the David Jones Bakery in the Market Street Store, Bondi Junction, Wollongong, and Bourke Street food halls.

From December, a charity version of the gingerbread man will be available at all David Jones stores in Australia including online, with all profits donated in support of David Jones’ Christmas 2017 charity partner, The Smith Family.

CREDITS

Creative agency: TBWA Sydney and Maud

Media: Carat

Brand consultant: Steve Sharp, Imagineer London

Public relations: David Jones

Production company: The Sweet Shop

Director: Mark Albiston

Visual effects and animation: Alt.vfx

Music: Everybody’s Talking, Xavier Rudd