Giant Tiger is taking a more whimsical approach to its holiday creative this year, using animation to position itself as a place for unique gift offerings for those on a budget.
One spot features unicorn slippers floating through clouds and rainbows, and another, bearded gnomes for hipsters. Both are set to modified versions of “Deck the Halls.”
“Our aisles are filled with unique items that will charm and captivate both gift givers and receivers,” claims Joey Diaz, EVP and chief merchant at Giant Tiger Stores Limited.
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According to Diaz, the retailer wanted to stand out from the “sea of twinkly lights” consumers are perennially exposed to during the holidays. Instead, Giant Tiger is taking a product-centred, rather than character-centred creative approach. Giant Tiger’s 2019 work, by then-AOR Huge, for example, leaned on familiar characters and holiday party archetypes like the hint-dropper and the not-so-secret Santa.
As Diaz tells strategy, this is Giant Tiger’s first campaign with John st.
“Our media mix this holiday season is diverse and is a blend of traditional and digital, some of the elements we are excited about are; out of home (billboards), connected TV, digital ads on platforms such as TikTok and we are so pleased to be back with holiday commercials after a hiatus,” he says.
The latest work is an attempt to again capture the fun, quirky personality of the brand, but to introduce it to a whole new audience, says Jamie Marcovitch, ECD for John St., the agency that created the work.
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But among the products and gift ideas, it is also focusing on Giant Tiger’s key differentiator: value, something that is especially to important to Canadian consumers this year.
According to BrandSpark’s recent National Profile of the Household Shopper study of 9,500 consumers, amid high inflation, the number of survey respondents who say they regularly shop at Giant Tiger is up to 21% from 16% last year. Its percentage year-over-year gains were third highest after Walmart and Dollarama, other beneficiaries of a hyper inflation environment.
The campaign is being supported through out-of-home, digital and social across both French and English markets in Canada. Wavemaker is leading on media.
