Editor’s note: You know a brand is doing something right – or at least something worth talking about – when two members of the team submit blog posts about them in one day! Here;s a K-Mart blog post double header for your enjoyment. ~ @AdvertGirl
Post #1: K-Mart’s Christmas Carol
It’s been a year of viral videos for K-Mart. In a “Ship My Pants” spin-off, the brand pulled off a “Christmas Carol” variation – Tiny Tim included. In “Ship My Trousers,” Bob Cratchet and family are thrilled to be able to have their shopping sent directly to them. Even the Ghost of Christmas Past is able to ship her petticoat, and it was “very expedient! Old Scrooge excitedly wants to ship his bed. This video has all the makings of a Christmas-cheer classic.
Props to K-Mart, who has a fully-branded YouTube page, including a store locator, Twitter stream and product gallery. Links are embedded on top of the video at its conclusion to direct viewers to shop K-Mart.com, view photo galleries of the commercial characters or watch the brands other viral videos. Will pushing the store’s link right in front of consumers draw them in or drive them away? We’ll just have to see what 2014 has in store for the viral-hungry brand.
~ Nicole Mazewski, Account Coordinator, The S3 Agency
Post #2: Kmart Gets Ballsy With New Holiday Ad
If you haven’t already seen the new Kmart Joe Boxer holiday commercial, you’re about to. The spot opens with six men who appear to be wearing tuxedos. They are standing behind a cloth draped table and are ringing holiday bells. As the table is whisked away, it is revealed that the men are standing in their Joe Boxer shorts. They then proceed to dance and create their own musical version of the very popular holiday classic, Jingle Bells.
Well, since its YouTube debut last month, this ad has done more than garner 16 million viewers – it’s caused quite the stir. Their Facebook page has been flooded with comments from people who find this ad “disgusting” and vow “to never shop at Kmart again or purchase anything from Joe Boxer”.
But not everyone has their panties in a bunch over this spot. As is the trend, JC Penny had a very funny and supportive brand-to-brand twitter exchange with Kmart not long after the spot aired. This goes to show that, while campaigns using edgy humor can be risky, they can also go a long way. Whether the feedback is positive or not, there are a lot of people talking about and interacting with the brand – and that is definitely a good thing.
So, I guess the question is.does Kmart’s humor push too far away from their “family brand” roots and risk alienating their core target, or is this just what the brand needs to break through the ever-so-cluttered world of advertising and help to reinvent themselves as fresh and fun. I guess only time will tell.
In the meantime, I personally can’t wait to see what they do next!
~ Tracey Jeffas, Account Supervisor, The S3 Agency
