The new campaign from AMV BBDO for the UK's largest electrical retailing and services company, Currys and PC World, takes a clever approach, examining the kind of subtle and not-so-subtle manipulations our partners occasionally make in order to justify an expensive purchase. The new campaign is entitled “Football? What Football?” and contains a number of broadcast spots in which a hopelessly transparent man attempts to slyly suggest to his significant other that they 'might want to consider' buying a new television, implying that the decision certainly has nothing to do with the impending 2014 World Cup.
The new campaign is entitled “Football? What Football?”
It is the agency's first work for the brand, and it is a subtly humorous approach which plays cleverly on typical British cynicism. The first TV spot cheekily manages to play on the building hype for his year's World Cup, without ever actually mentioning the World Cup. Entitled “Pride and Sensibility”, the ad shows as man and his wife at dinner. The man begins to tell his wife how he and his friends recently watched “That Pride and Sensibility program” (an obvious spoof on Downton Abby) his wife enjoys so much on a shared friends gigantic 55 inch widescreen HD Smart TV. Of course it's implied that his wife sees through the charade when he almost mentions a certain upcoming global football competition.
Other spots include a similarly manipulative man suggesting a new TV on which to watch his wife's gardening programs, and a father justifying the purchase as a way to watch a penguin documentary. All of the ads are shot through with a stoic sense of humour, and it's an approach that works because these are situations so many of us can identify with, on either side of the argument. All of the TV ads will be live on YouTube and on a bespoke hub, which can be accessed via the Currys and PC World website. It will run until the 7th of June.
AMV BBDO CEO is really proud that their first work for the Currys and PC World “Reflects the change that has been happening with the brand and within their business.”
Whilst the campaign might be aimed at promoting the stores range of smart TV's, none of the ads will feature the products themselves, which marks a significant departure for the brand. Ian Pearman, AMV BBDO CEO said they are really proud that their first work for the Currys and PC World “Reflects the change that has been happening with the brand and within their business.” Katie Bickerstaffe, chief executive for Dixons Retail (who own Currys and PC World) also underlines AMV BBDO's wise decision to subtly work the World Cup into the campaign, as she states that “This summer will see an unprecedented amount of football action, which many customers are deeply passionate about.” She believes that the ads manage to “Tap into that emotion,” and let their customer know that Currys and PC World is “THE destination for televisions and a host of other tech upgrades ahead of this summer's big football tournament.”
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and musician from Kidderminster in the UK. He bought his very first laptop from PC World almost a decade ago and (last time he checked at least) it still works! His phone is now more powerful than it mind.
