Find your inner child with Penny market and Serviceplan Campaign

Christoph Everke

Managing Partner — Serviceplan

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• Give us an overview of the campaign. What is it about and what was your role in the creation?

The Campaign is all about light-heartedness, and giving some hope and positive energy in times of troubles and worries that our customers go through. My role was to set the frame, the insight and agenda of the campaign, and find the most powerful execution.

• How this holiday communication is different from the usual for this advertiser?

First of all it’s the first international Campaign that PENNY has launched in Markets all over Europe. Secondly, we are not only talking about Film and Promotions but also about a huge survey we conducted for PENNY in Germany about “a child’s point of view“, and also a social-media-challenge.

• What inspired you to approach the campaign this way?

The biggest inspiration have been PENNY’s customers. Many of them often live in difficult circumstances, they really have to go through a lot of worries in their daily life. So we wanted to give them a more cheerful take on life – which has worked out pretty well, as we can already see in their reactions and involvement with the campaign, which is even higher than involvement by customers in the Christmas campaign of last year.

• What’s a “behind the scenes” story that only you know about?

I remember a wonderful moment that happened while we were shooting our film. We had a wonderful cast – but obviously the three actors are quite old. So we took some stunt doubles with us and shot some actions scenes with them to avoid any accidents. But while we were doing this Stuart, (McIntyre, the director), and me recognised that Lee (our male actor and the oldest guy on set) was getting more and more impatient. He wanted to do the scene on his own. All of a sudden he was jumping up and rolling down the hill, and so that’s when we got our most beautiful shots.

• Are there any holiday ad tropes that you think should be retired by now?

Interesting question. To be honest – no. I would not say that there is a specific trope that is “done”. As long as it is a human truth, something that moves the audience, and something that is connected to the brand and the customers, it is worth talking about it.

• What is your favourite holiday campaign of all time?

There is not one. I still love the “Penguin” from John Lewis, as well as “Sorry I spend it on myself”. But of course I love our “Reconciliation Wine” campaign for PENNY that we did two years ago, and the PENNY “Christmas doesn’t need much, only love” of 2018, and this year’s film!

• What can we expect from your agency in 2020?

We are planning a very brave and honest social media campaign with PENNY, and I’m looking forward to all the things and new projects we are developing at the moment.