Target encourages Aussies to give a little love this Christmas in new spot via AJF Partnership
Inspired by the idea that the world would be a much nicer place if we could all ‘give a little love’, Target’s new Christmas campaign via AJF Partnership, tells the story of a young teenage boy who thoughtfully sets off to buy a gift for his mum, and then inadvertently leaves it behind, prompting the whole city to come together to get the gift back to him.
Set to the iconic Burt Bacharach track ‘What The World Needs Now’, sung by Dionne Warwick (who tours Australia in November), it’s a simple and sweet story of kindness and coming together.
Says Kenton Elliot, general marketing manager, Target: “At Target, we understand that giving is the ultimate act of love at Christmas. This campaign celebrates the joy of giving and
celebrates the breadth of our offering. Especially at Christmas, we want to give our customers everything they need to create memorable moments for their families.”
The campaign will be seen on multiple channels including TV, cinema, online and
social media.
The campaign was created by AJF Partnership, a GrowthOps business, and directed by Stephen Carroll from Revolver, with media planning and buying by OMD.
Says Josh Stephens, ECD, AJF Partnership: “We wanted to create a piece that embraced the magic of goodwill at Christmas, but with a little bit of edge. Target’s summer fashion and on-trend decorations and gifts have allowed us to do just that.”
Target’s Christmas campaign kicked off Sunday, 28 October.
Client: Target Australia
General Manager, Marketing: Kenton Elliot
Head of Brand Communication and Customer Experience: Nicole Gillard
Head of Creative: Nunzio Miano
Brand Marketing Manager: Laurelle Esse
Campaign Manager: Lauren Conte
Agency: AJF Partnership, a GrowthOps Business
Executive Creative Director: Josh Stephens
Head of Strategy: Jacqueline Witts
Group Account Director: Emily Pockley
Creative Director: David Klein
Senior Copywriter: Georgie Hanby
Account Director: Tess Porter
Strategic Planner: Hayley Read
Account Manager: Lucy Bell
Senior TV Producer: Liesel Haug
Production: Revolver/Will O’Rourke
Director: Stephen Carroll
Producer: Alice Grant
Media planning and buying: OMD
33 Comments
like spending 60 seconds downing drinks at a fancy free bar. It’s all good stuff but you’re left feeling like you’re not sure what happened.
That is an absolute train wreck.
Just when you think AJF are nailing the perfect sweet spot for Target, they go and do this. Tried to make an epic Christmas spot and really made a horribly confusing journey of a package from a bus stop to a dog.
Great effort getting it across the line, as I’m sure it wouldn’t have been an easy sell.
Though feels a little like it misses the mark. Was the brief ‘we’re after a John Lewis tear-jerker with the pace and fun of Middleditch’s HSBC Hong Kong 7’s spot’?
Just when you thought Target was cool, they made this.
It’s a million times better than the shit Big Red used to churn out, but it does feel like the idea suffers from either lack of budget or not quite right direction.
John Lewis lite though, is still pretty good for this category.
Weird story telling. Hard to follow.
poop sandwich.
Feels like that script is at least a 2min job. Way too much going on in here to take in as a coherent story. What character am I meant to be paying attention to? I get a new one every 10 seconds.
I can see the intended John Lewis reference filtered through the Australian marketing world would end up turning into this.
Ironically that same song plays in all the automated public toilets in Melbourne
I thought this was great!
Would like to know who the DP was?
DP was Shelley Farthing Dawe.
Epic………fail. If you don’t have an epic budget don’t try and make an epic.
what a mess… this could have been awesome.
What a bunch of bah humbug, grumpy pricks we all are. I’d sure as hell rather see this than ugly ‘save’ sales Christmas crap and discount banners. Sure it’s John Lewis-lite, but isn’t Target?
But it makes no sense bro. It’s poor, cumbersome, naive.
It’s silly Aussie creatives trying too hard again.
With no idea, no compelling traction to the listener, the viewer.
This is like watching old cam corder footage your grandparents filmed when they accidentally recorded the all the bits they didnt need and stopped recording the bits they wanted to record by mistake.
This desperately needed less Transformers 7-like editing and more simplified shots that tell the story – ie, picking up the present, handing the present to the next person. Less would have been more.
… how do they know where he lives? He lives with his Mum so he wouldn’t have written her name and address on the box…
Every single AJF-Revolver/Will O’Rourke colab since the dawn of time. But this one makes even less sense than usual. Yawn + gag. Yawg?
I’m so confused…
Why is it that no sound, edit or post houses are credited on here anymore?
Given the comments on this thread, chances are the punters will love it.
I’m just here for the 3D animated bus.
@But…
Bingo. I bet if anyone had have raised that significant plot-hole, they would have been accused of ‘overthinking it’, though.
Editing: ARC Edit
• David Whittaker
Online Post Production and SFX: ARC Edit, Fin Design + Effects
• Colourist: Edel Rafferty
• VFX Supervisor: Justin Bromley
• VFX Producer: Emily Newbould
Sound Design: Bang Bang Studios
• Sam Hopgood
Post Houses should be credited, considering thats where every agency and client pleads poor and say they have no money.
Respect when and where its earned.
I like the commercial.
Edits a bit fast and feels forced in parts, its like every idea was rammed into the 60. Agency creatives and clients need to learn to let go of some of the good stuff, it doesn’t all not need to be the ad.
This is absolutely horrific, the edit is so confusing. I only just catch up to what is happening at the end. The kids performance is so bad. It’s been shot so quickly and that nothing matches. Just awful
All these people commenting on how horrific the spot is.
Are they comparing it to THEIR work?
I doubt it very much.
YOU go and do better.
Please stop this ad!!!! It’s shown too many times and quite frankly makes No Sense!! Please stop running it!
I love this commercial so much that I get emotional every time I see it .also who is the actor who looses the gift he looks familiar in what other acting jobs has he done
Who is the boy is he an actor?
A beautiful ad. I pity those people who don’t ‘get it.’ It tugs at the heart strings in a very ‘Christmasy’ way.
We are not America and we don’t need to loose our identity as Australians by taking an Amecianised add campaign.
Here is a novel idea, let’s embrace Australia and use Australian ideas and ideals. We do have culture and class if you look. We are not all beer swilling bogans.
Imagine and it might just happen.
I would like to know the teenage boy who loses the present actors real name please