Modern Family’s Eric Stonestreet new face of Big W ads
Retailer Big W has launched a new campaign featuring Modern Family actor Eric Stonestreet bantering with customers.
Stonestreet features in the new TV commercials from Saatchi & Saatchi which began running on Channel Ten last night. In the 45-second ad, Stonestreet goes around a Big W store, chatting with staff and customers as he seeks out bargain prices.
During the filming Stonestreet was allowed to go off script and ad-lib some of the banter with customers.
“As the recognisable and well-loved star of one of Australia’s favourite programs, and a genuinely great guy, Eric Stonestreet is a perfect fit for the brand and we’re thrilled he has come on board to promote Australia’s lowest prices at Big W in the new phase of our successful campaign” said Julie Coates, director of Big W.
The campaign is the third phase of the discount department store’s successful ‘Everyone’s a winner’ brand campaign created by Saatchi and Saatchi. It will features a series of ads, filmed at BIG W’s flagship store in Merrylands and has Stonestreet promoting ‘Australia’s lowest prices’.
Stonestreet said: “I’m proud to be the new ambassador for Big W. I have always shopped at stores like Big W to get great value.”
The ad will run on free-to-air and paid TV channels nationwide and will be followed by 30-second and 15-second cut downs. Supporting the TV campaign, a comprehensive multi-channel campaign will appear nationally.
Agency credits:
- Creative agency: Saatchi & Saatchi
- Damon Stapleton – Executive Creative Director
- Louise Mahoney – Creative Director
- Production: Plaza Films Dave Klaiber – Director Susannah DiLallo – Producer
- Post Production: Heckler Samantha Daley – Producer Jamie Watson – Compositor
- Public Relations: One Green Bean
So embarrassing.
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Great stuff. Right personality. Right positioning. Right execution. Well done.
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The punters will love it!
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So, tell us Paul, what’s so embarrassing about this campaign? Its for an EDLP department store, not for Dior haute couture. Well done all at Big W and the agency.
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When comparing this with Kmart’s awesome high energy advert, this looks like boring, same old same old stuff.
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Brilliant
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I was ready to criticise, thinking of that irritating ad with Dawn French for Coles, but thought it was spot on and quite enjoyable to watch the banter. Well done!
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I think Eric Stonestreet works very well in this. Mind you, I am a fan.
Hate the “Cha-Ching” bit though. Kinda wanky…no matter who does it.
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When you can’t come up with a concept to spend the budget on, spend it on an unfunny celebrity instead.
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I never used to shop at Big W but now that an American actor vouches for its worth, I’m sold. Sure, he’s never actually shopped there but he does frequent “stores like Big W”. Presumably he means Walmart, Kmart and Target. Hey, we have Kmart and Target – I should just shop there, since he has first hand experience with those chains and I’d like to align my shopping habits as closely possible to his. I wonder where Joel Madden shops. Can someone have him tell us please?
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I’d put (a small amount) of money on Ka-love it (the commenter above) being either from Big W / Woolworths / one of their agencies
yeah, the EDLP bit kind of gives it away.
you also have to beware of people who call themselves ‘average punters’ (on a marketing site of all places) proclaiming that ‘average punters’ will love it.
Although I am looking forward to the new levels of service that Big W is now offering its customers. Having my own personal shop assistant walk through the store with me will be so much nicer than being ignored, as is currently the case.
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Pretty awful. “… the recognisable and well-loved star of one of Australia’s favourite programs…” when he has a script to work with of the quality of Modern Family. In this ad? Not so much.
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Gordon Ordinary, take a bow.
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Just got the catalogue in the mail..didn’t even notice him?
Now that I’ve seen the ad…boring. It’s nowhere near big enough.
I notice you guys haven’t put it on Campaign brief….yeah I wouldn’t either.
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The concept wouldn’t have been executed so poorly if Stonestreet was cast as Cameron (Modern Family character). Cameron is a genuinely funny dude. The ad lib had me cringing. Oh well…..better luck next time.
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Sorry to disappoint Pascoe – but I’m not connected to either either the client, its parent company, or the agency. [And EDLP is as common a term as TVC in retail world]. So, just to repeat myself – Eric is great. The campaign will work. The industry will probably hate it – but so what.
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He cannot work in character.
The character is not his.
That is the problem with paying people like him big bucks .
You are not really getting what you pay for.
As evidenced by this characterless unfunny spot.
K mart will be licking their lips.
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@Ka-love it!
I don’t care whether the industry likes a campaign or not.
For example, I say the Coles “down down” activity with Status Quo is great, because it will help their business results, despite ad-land thinking it cringe-worthy.
I also say it’s great because it builds off a clear positioning & more importantly an ongoing platform – hence why there has been so many iterations over time (I haven’t gone back and looked it up, but it might be coming up on a year?).
This Big W campaign is using a tried and tested celebrity approach, that will work, but only in proportion to the size of celebrity/celebrities they keep throwing at it.
*cringe*….why Big W..why…can Australia not put out a celeb or character that we can use??
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The “cha-ching!” campaign launched July 30 2012, so for 5 months of H1.
I don’t have any inside information, and am yet to compare Big W’s sales YoY, or how they compare to Kmart’s (or other EDLP chains). Will try to compare over next few days.
But in the Big W section of Woolworth’s interim results, in the strategic objectives sub-section, in the 3 points about “win on value everyday”, the only point without any firm numbers is the one about the campaign. It says “… is continuing to gain traction with customers”.
https://www.evernote.com/shard/s1/sh/f3e89a41-3fc1-486a-bd74-f04d1a1712f4/63288b1d3761415c2733902e29c4478f
An international name to spruik a local chain, running around the store being witty, sounds strikingly similar to the Fly Buys relaunch with Dawn French.
Underwhelming at best…
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I hit play on the video without reading the article and actually thought it was for K-Mart.
Not sure what that says. Something surely…
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I am pretty sure I miss-heard the line – so please tell me he didn’t describe himself when purchasing the pillows as a ‘pretty panzy’? If so thank god a black actor wan’t used and we had to hear the N word.
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