Following on from the previous post on Christmas shop windows, I look at a coordinated Christmas advertising campaign.
I first became aware of the Coach premium handbag campaign on my Christmas lights tour of London. I took the picture below of their New Bond Street store's Christmas window. The minimalist look and the cheeky miniature dinosaurs caught my eye. I noted the brand's 75th anniversary written on the window. Seventy-five seems a bit young for a dinosaur.
Just days later I found myself at Westfields Shopping Centre in London's Shepherd's Bush. The fabulous Christmas decorations stand out - and so do two huge cut-out dinosaurs.
A red stegosaurus propped up the bar for the adults.
A huge T-Rex captured the attention of children. They dragged parents with them to the side of the Christmas ice rink.
Screens play an advertisement at the Westfields rink-side. Rexy the mischievous dinosaur has the starring role. She knocks other dinosaurs over like a stack of dominoes. She dances and wiggles enthusiastically like a dog wagging its tail. She spots an open window and makes her escape up the road.
The ad plays over and over again. I noticed how restarting from a blank screen recaptured my attention more readily than a continuously playing ad. The huge screen overhead also plays the Coach Christmas ad. Here it alternates with a lingerie ad and a static version of Huawei's Don't Just Snap.
Wherever you look there seem to be more dinosaurs. The festive singing from the ice rink's stage draws your attention to Rexy in the ad playing above their heads. There are dinosaur stickers around the edge of the ice rink and on columns.
As I came down an escalator elsewhere in the centre, I saw Rexy playing on the screen in my direct line of sight.
Dinosaur footprints on the floor lead to a pop-up Coach store at the rink-side, with the main store just a little further on.
Westfields is an example of a modern lifestyle shopping centre. It boasts a wide range of restaurants. (My personal recommendation? Try the deliciously fresh Lebanese food inside the centre. You can't beat their fresh apple juice crushed from apples selected right in front of you).
The cinema on the top floor has a wide choice of films. As I waited for my film, I looked down at the ice rink. Was that Rexy on the other side? For an extinct dinosaur, he certainly gets around. Not bad for a brand supposedly in decline.
I went to see Arrival. This film has captured the attention of linguists. A linguist saves the world. People keep predicting the demise of translators and interpreters. Like Rexy the dinosaur, we have spirit and staying power.
Who knows what lies ahead? Linguists might actually save the world in real life.
If only we could have our own coordinated marketing campaign.
Karen Andrews is a freelance French to English translator, transcreator, content writer and editor. She has a strong background in marketing and project management.
Email Karen for further information via karenanglicityen@gmail.com in French, German or English.
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