BMF introduce ‘Hipster Santa’ to promote shopping centre during Christmas
A new Sydney shopping centre has introduced ‘Hipster Santa’ who has started up his own workshop inside the mall.
Central, the retail space located within Central Park in Chippendale, says he is the: “Contemporary answer to traditional Christmas. He’s not big on flying reindeer; he prefers his fixed-gear bike.
“And don’t even think about leaving him out milk and cookies; he only accepts coconut water and gluten-free macarons.”
The campaign, from BMF, includes an ambient PR stunt, outdoor, point of sale, an interactive digital display and a social strategy where Hipster Santa will be active across Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr.
The three-week long campaign sees Hipster Santa take over one of the retail spaces within Central’s Living Mall and replaced it with his workshop. Shoppers will be able to interact with him in the lead up to Christmas, including taking selfie-style Santa photos.
The centre’s take on Santa Claus will also have a digital presence in the centre, with him and his band, Hipster Santa and the Antlers,appearing digitally on the Living Mall’s interactive digital display. Shoppers can control the music by activating and deactivating different band member’s instruments via a touchscreen. The band play indie covers of Christmas carols.
The character will also curate the ‘must have’ items in the centre’s retailers. During the lead-up to Christmas, he’ll attach ‘Approved by Hipster Santa’ tags on “any item that he personally thinks are totes amaze”.
In Chippendale, posters and sidewalk chalk stencils will promote the hashtag #hipstersanta.
Credits:
- Managing Partner: Stephen McArdle
- ECD: Carlos Alija, Laura Sampedro
- Creative: Patrick Chambers, Mark Carbone
- Account Management: Kura Tyerman, Chris Hill
- Interactive Director: Nev Fordyce
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Designer: Lincoln Grice
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PR Agency: Amy Whittaker and Monique Jones (Frank PR)
- Client: Frasers Property and Sekisui House
Ugh, they’re, like, totes trying too hard. Ceebs.
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aren’t hipsters getting a bit boring?
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is this for real? #fail
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This is actually cute. Like.
Will be interesting to see post-campaign results for this. Also interesting to see the cool social/PR element of this came from an ad agency, rather than a PR firm (who does Central use for PR btw?).
Shareworthy and different take on the usual Xmas chatter, which I’ve already seen shared on my Twitter feed a few times!
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Hipsters. Yawn.
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Hitler. Hipsters. They’re despised equally and universally.
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How exactly is this going to attract shoppers??
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Love it! Funny, cute and original. Now I want to see what a hipster elf looks like 🙂
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Can’t wait to see the award submission video for this one. I’m sure it will make it look like an amazing fully integrated experiential and socially led extravaganza.
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Navel gazing never goes out of fashion
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Its a cool idea with potential, but the copy feels like its lacking – quote off the site – like adults trying to do kid speak –
“I’m down with all shades of the colour red, maintaining my dense and luscious chin-mane, soy lattes and curating cool at Christmas.”
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funny AND original!!!!!!! This is what advertising is all about.
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I swear, these hipsters are taking over the world, first it was the advertising industry and now xmas!
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Its great to see an ad agency that used to create trends now resurrect them – someone has to do it.
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We kinda did the whole hipster santa thing last year for fun not to sell anything though, we just made a video:
If Santa Was Hip:
http://youtu.be/7quKALvUM54
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I met hipster santa the other day at central park haha I think he’s awesome! very well done
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Considering that Central Park in Chippendale is spitting distance from several universities and educational institutions (not to mention uber hipster Abercrombie Hotel) I have to conceed it’s nailed the brief. 20-something year old students with mac books, fixies and backpacks = this campaign.
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What is the deal with these dated ideas of comic relief?
the term hipster in adworld pretty much defines every single person aged 24-35 that lives in a first world, western country capital city.
Calling someone hipster because they actually care about the political state of the world, care about what they put into their bodies, care about the environment, accept that they don’t have the kind of money to buy pointlessly pathetic material objects and wear and do whatever makes them happy and makes them feel comfortable is pretty sad if you ask me.
Why do gen x and baby boomers have such hatred towards gen y? at the end of the day, it seems like this is the problem.
Using the term “hipster” with negative connotations in order to sell something to those you believe are in fact, hipsters is pointless and stupid.
I personally am over marketers hashtagging, using stupid calls (fail, totes, lolz etc.) in order to “connect” with their audience. Don’t they realise by now that this only turns them away?
The only people that find hipster-esque advertisements and satire funny are those old enough to have teenage children, wear a velour tracksuit and drive a 4wd around the inner city with a stick figure family on the back.
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Funny yes, original no. But meh? What’s wrong with that? If it works…nothing.
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Pointless rubbish. I can see why BMF is no longer the place to go for creative work
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Nice one BMF. Ignore the haters. Down here we love all the Aldi stuff. It´s some of your best work ever. Keep going.
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I met Hipster Santa today and he is the best Santa ever! Friendly, lovely, chatty, clever … Ok I think I want to marry him.
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@TerryG – You sound like a real Hipster Maahn
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