Dobbies helps shoppers find their “Christmust” in new festive campaign

Dobbies, the UK’s leading garden centre retailer, has unveiled its new Christmas campaign, “Dobbies: Find Your Christmust”. The multichannel push was developed in partnership with creative agency elvis.

Dobbies has worked with elvis to develop a digital-first, integrated campaign, with the aim of delivering the brand’s best Christmas ever. It seeks to drive footfall and sales, as well as continuing to increase brand awareness.

Against the backdrop of consumers being more conscious of their spending, the campaign presents Dobbies as a magical, stress-free festive destination, where money is well spent.

The creative idea is inspired by the moment when your head is turned by that perfect Christmas item or experience that you simply must have – something Dobbies is calling a “Christmust”.

A 20-second hero film, directed by Daniel Liakh at Spindle, features multiple vignettes of people finding their Christmust at Dobbies, highlighting the incredible feeling that finding that specific thing gives you.

A series of digital display and social carousel executions use playful and bold typography to evoke that Christmust feeling, featuring reactions like “Gifts PHWOOOOAR them” and “OMGrotto”, while radio and digital audio spots explain the feeling of a Christmust at Dobbies.

Digital and dynamic audio spots namedrop listeners’ local stores, including dynamic countdowns as Christmas gets closer, and swapping out product names to align with shopper behaviour. The campaign also uses a number of variants for social and digital display, carrying countdown messages with different product focuses.

In line with its Better World approach, elvis selected Spindle, an award-winning production studio that represents a progressive and diverse roster of talent, as its production partner for the campaign. elvis and Spindle took an inclusive approach to casting to show that Dobbies is a brand for everyone.

Kirsty Rockey, Head of Brand Strategy and Innovation, Dobbies, said: “At Christmas, Dobbies is more than just a garden centre – it’s a day out at a festive destination where you can immerse yourself in shopping, food and events. Our new campaign really brings that to life, evoking the feeling of finding that specific item that makes Christmas feel like Christmas.”

Neale Horrigan, Executive Creative Director, elvis, added: “Dobbies has a huge range of products and experiences to choose from at Christmas, making it easier to find something special, so this campaign dramatises that feeling we’ve all experienced – the moment of spotting the perfect Christmas thing. Whether it’s a gift for a loved one, a bauble for the tree or a delicious mince pie, we all feel happy when we set eyes on a “Christmust”.