Under the Mistletoe: PITCH for Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield

With consumer confidence hitting an 18-year high this holiday, Westfield Malls chose to focus on the joy of the season and take a nostalgic-yet-playful approach in its newest seasonal campaign; shining a light on classic holiday moments and traditions.

From a play on mistletoe to a unique nutcracker, Westfield worked with agency partner Pitch to create this campaign that highlights the pure magic the holidays bring. There is a bit of “surprise and delight” with each moment as well, echoing Westfield’s cross section of curated discoveries available around every corner.

Mistletoe: A couple kissing under the ‘mistletoe’ – that was actually a divine pair of emerald green shoes.
Cracker: A family discovering larger-than-life ‘cracker’ under the tree – were delighted to discover it contained luxury items for all.


In another execution, Tic Tac Toe was reimagined with hot chocolate ingredients and holiday treats, something to satisfy every holiday spirit.

Each execution, whether it’s focused on food, fashion, entertainment, or any of the things Westfield has to offer was brought to life through the lens of play with the goal of increasing foot traffic and getting people out to shop early this season. This campaign is running now nationwide on digital, social (paid + organic), print and in-center at the malls. 

Was the brief for this holiday campaign any different that than the usual? What challenges did that present?

When Westfield launched a new creative identity as “The New NEW Mall” in 2017, Pitch re-imagined the mall experience as full of escapism and discovery, replacing the “usual” with the “unexpected”.

As the campaign evolved in year 2, we widened the focus beyond the unexpected to moments that are centered around play. So, for this holiday campaign, we challenged ourselves to think differently by focusing on playful, approachable moments that captured the best parts of the holidays, with a dash of the unexpected.

 

What inspired you to approach the campaign this way?

We combined the unexpected surprises available around every corner at Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield with the most loved holiday moments with a cheeky twist.

 

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

Sixty-eight percent of U.S. households are in on a not-so-secret-secret – that pets make people happier. So, when we were concepting ideas for the holiday campaign, we knew we needed to invite a furry friend to put a scarf on and join in on the holiday cheer.

What we didn’t know is how big of an entourage our famous little friend would come with. He had not one but two understudies. And a trainer. And an agent. In the end, it was all worth it!

 

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

At Pitch, we believe that the merriment of the holiday season is a fun time to be had by all. But perhaps, not as EARLY as many ads start these days. Advertising is not just about what is being communicated, but when it is communicated. Basically, holiday ads in September have no place in our increasingly limited share-of-mind with consumers.

 

What is your favorite holiday campaign of all time?

We cheated and asked members of our team to share their favorite campaigns.

 

Corona Extra TV Commercial, ‘O Tannenpalm’

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/AZ63/corona-extra-o-tannenpalm

I have always loved this one because of its simplicity. It shows that a brand that may not immediately make sense during the holidays can find a direction that works for them and stick with it. It feels like a true expression of their brand.

-Galen Graham, CCO

 

1914 - Sainsbury Ad

“This ad has always made an impact on me because it’s based on historical fact but shows a resilient core of humanity and fellowship even in the darkest hour of modern civilization.”

https://youtu.be/NWF2JBb1bvM

-Dina Biblarz, Integrated Strategy Director

 

What can we expect from your agency in 2019?

2018 was the year that we stacked the cards in our favor. We elevated Sara Bamossy to Co-CEO and she brought on Marisstella Marinkovic to join her as Co-CEO, and finally, Galen Graham joined as CCO from 72andSunny. We’re using our reinvigorated leadership to re-energize Pitch in 2019, setting us up to support our current client roster with best-in-class work and grow our list of clients. 2019 will be our best year yet.

 

What do you think the advertising industry's New Year’s resolution should be?

Simply, balancing ROI with a sense of responsibility. Advertising has the potential to spread positive messages, and while the industry is already moving in that direction, we can continue to push it there. Like with the work that Pitch has done with Burger King “Toy Talks”, we’ve worked to develop kid’s imagination while keeping Burger King’s KPI’s in mind.