Zady.com Teams with Vespa for Last-Minute Christmas Gift Delivery Service

Zady Partners with Vespa for Operation Santa

UPS may have had some hiccups getting packages delivered before Christmas, but Zady.com wasn’t taking any chances with its customers in the Manhattan and Brooklyn area.

The online store teamed up with American Vespa to launch “Operation Santa”, a free delivery service using scooter-riding couriers dressed like Santa Claus.

[via Fashion Times]

USA

British Royal Mint Commissions £12,000 Christmas Pudding

Royal Mint Commissions £12,000 Christmas Pudding

Putting a silver coin into the Christmas pudding is a long standing tradition amongst British families. The coin is thought to bring good luck and wealth for the following year to the person who finds it. That luck would begin with not choking on the coin while enjoying the dessert.

This year the British Royal Mint has commissioned actress, writer and now cake-entrepreneur Jane Asher (yes, the same Jane Asher who was engaged to Paul McCartney in the 1960s) to create an extravagant and regal Christmas pudding, based on a 200 year old secret family recipe containing festive spices, dried fruits and blanched almonds.

The most expensive ingredient in the dessert is 35 rare silver and coins, including five 2013 uncirculated £5 Sovereign Gold coins each worth £1,900 and thirty Silver Sixpences.

[via PSFK]

UK

French Yarn-Maker Offers Savings to Customers Who Knit Their Own Coupons

Bergère de France - Knit Your Own Coupon

Bergère de France has been producing high-quality yarn in Bar-le-Duc, France since 1946. Over the years, their product range has grown to include patterns for crochet and knitting; needles and knitting accessories; and supplies for embroidery and cross-stitching.

Recently, the yarn-maker’s ad agency BEING came up with a creative and inspired campaign to help increase business at the Bergère de France boutiques. Customers could use their leftover yarn, and using one of four patterns, hand-knit a coupon to earn savings of 5%, 10%, 15% or 20% off of their next purchase. The more complex the pattern was, the more savings the customer could earn for their handiwork.

A great example of creating an campaign experience that connects directly to the customer’s use of the product. You can check out the knitted coupons in a photo gallery on BEING’s Facebook page.

[via Ads of the World]

France

Excuse Me? I Can Do What With My Pants at Kmart?!?

Kmart - Ship My Pants

To get the word out that Kmart is offering free shipping on anything you can’t find in the physical store, DraftFCB has created a hilarious ad that will have people doing double takes across the US.

As the customers happily explain in the video, you can not only ship your pants, but also drawers, nighties, or if you’re up to it, ship the entire bed. Hilarious.

[via AdWeek]

USA

Marks & Spencer Creates Blooming QR Code Billboard for Mother’s Day Deals

Marks & Spencer - Blooming QR Code

Shoppers at Westfield White City shopping centre were given the opportunity to win flowers for a year from Marks and Spencer by scanning a QR code on a billboard made up of 9,457 flowers.

The 5×3 metre billboard, which took 179 hours to complete, was designed by CURB media and developed by the creative team at Profero. Once the promotion is done and the billboard is taken the down, the flowers will be turned into compost.

[via Campaigns & Coffee]

UK

Hardware Chain Inspires Kiwis to Create DIY Love Songs for Valentine’s Day

Mitre 10 - Celebrate Valentine's Day with DIY Love Songs

New Zealand hardware store Mitre 10 and ad agency DraftFCB are helping customers celebrate Valentine’s Day by demonstrating how to create DIY love songs using just a handsaw and a bow, or even a plastic coat-hanger if that’s all you have.

Demonstrating his musical skills in the video is Auckland retiree and 2-time saw world champion Alan Pitts. Pitts first heard the haunting sound of the hand saw on the radio in the 1930s, inspiring him to develop his own virtuosity over 70 years, even playing with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in Tim Finn’s ‘The Saw and the Tree’.

I would have loved to see this campaign expanded to encourage saw-playing contributions from customers, store managers and employers. As for music selections, I would suggest “I Saw Her Standing There”, “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”, or as suggested in the video, anything by The Carpenters.

[via AdMedia]

Australia

Barbie Puts Malibu Dreamhouse on the Real Estate Market for $25 million

Barbie Malibu Dreamhouse - For Sale

It appears that coastal living may have lost some of it’s appeal for the world’s most popular doll, as Mattel’s Barbie puts her pink Malibu Dreamhouse up for sale. With superstar real-estate agent Josh Altman of Bravo TV’s ‘Million Dollar Listing‘ on board, the three storey, one bedroom, one bathroom is listed for $25,000,000 on real estate site Trulia.

But don’t fret about Barbie, she won’t be homeless for long. The announcement is the kickoff to a campaign that includes a worldwide tour to find a new dream home, and a team designers made up of Jonathan Adler, Lulu de Kwiatkowski, Celerie Kemble, and Trina Turk to provide advice and inspiration. The results will be realized in a new Dreamhouse playset that will be made available just in time for the 2013 Christmas season.

The campaign includes traditional advertising and PR, but will be take place primarily on digital media, including Trulia.com, Barbie.com, as well as social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

[photo Facebook]

USA

“Same Dress” Drama Erupts Into an Epic Laser Battle in Harvey Nichols Holiday Ad

Harvey Nichols - Same Dress

Harvey Nichols is not afraid of courting controversy in their advertising campaigns, as evidenced by last year’s Christmas ad ‘Walk of Shame‘.

While this year’s Christmas ad seems less controversial, it’s may still seem very familiar to any woman who’s spent considerable efforts searching for, and selecting, what she thought was that special, unique dress, only to come face-to-face with someone (assuming a woman) wearing the exact same thing.

While I don’t dare speak for all guys, if I spot another dude wearing the same or similar thing at a party, it simply validates that I may have made a good fashion decision.

But, Harvey Nichols’ Christmas ad shows that only way to truly resolve this awkward holiday party situation is to stage an epic laser battle. Even the chihuahua gets pulled into the laser-battle action.

The ad was created by the London offices of Adam & Eve/DDB.

UK

California Mall Promotes Retailers with Real-Life Pinterest Boards

Westfield UTC - Real World Pinterest Board

La Jolla, California mall, Westfield UTC is celebrating it’s $180 million renovation with real-life Pinterest boards, promoting products from participating retailers.

Shoppers have a chance to win all the items in the display by creating their own ‘Everyday Escape’ Pinterest board, pinning 5 items from the Westfield UTC’s own ‘Everyday Escape‘ board, tag each pin with ‘#WestfieldUTC’

While the installation is not an official project from Pinterest, the mall did seek permission to use the Pinterest logo.

[Photo via Westfield UTC Facebook] [via Pando Daily]

Morrisons’ Christmas Ad Highlights the Hassles of the Holiday Season

Morrisons 2012 Christmas Ad

UK supermarket chain Morrisons has sparked controversy by taking their 2012 Christmas ad in a unusual direction, highlighting the hard work and hassles that come with the holiday season. From decorating the house, to watching the needles drop from the tress, or (literally) wrestling with the turkey.

The reviews on Morrisons’ Facebook are mixed, with some fans appreciating the dark humour of the ad, while others commented that they found it depressing or sexist.

The ad was created by agency DLKW Lowe and directed by Si & Ad of Academy.

[via Ad Age]

UK