Halfords launches its new brand platform with its first ever TV ad to feature a real family. Launching with the new “For Life’s Journeys” strapline, the TV ad shows a family leaving home for an adventurous weekend together and celebrates the real, everyday moments of British family getaways.
Halfords and ad agency Mother collaborated with director David Birkitt and commercials director Sebastian Reed to execute the campaign.
Excited to share this new campaign for .@Halfords_uk .@MarketingWeekEd https://t.co/rnwjnkgqxm #forlifesjourneys pic.twitter.com/6C1EAgPGvW
— Mother London (@motherlondon) June 7, 2016
The family, made up of Mum, Dad, daughter Tipper aged eight and son Vinnie aged four, was filmed on location in Dorset and Greater London, and pre-production involved several weeks of observing real British family life to help create those real moments and truths. The directing involved minimal instructions to the family, and particularly the two children, to achieve a feeling of realness.
“The ad launches as Halfords unveils its new brand platform, an insight-led campaign which aims to help the brand have an emotional resonance with customers and help them understand the role Halfords plays in their lives and what it stands for.”
There is also a move towards leveraging Halfords’ service proposition, with service TV ads launching later in the year for the first time to reflect the retailer’s expertise in free car checks and bike checks plus a wider focus on quality, innovation and services pillars.
Research supported Halfords making the difference between a good and bad journey and is reflected in the retailer’s offering, to being “committed to making customer’s journeys better” and leading to the “For life’s journeys” customer promise. Working with brand agency Elmwood, Halfords has developed a new brand identity to reflect this promise and strike a balance between emotional and functional, which will be rolled out across all marketing touchpoints.
Karen Bellairs, Halfords’ marketing director, said; “Journeys is a platform we can really own as a brand, and we want to position Halfords as the ‘go to’ for all journeys- whether by car, bike, touring or camping; whether it’s a first, everyday or a milestone journey.”
“We’ve captured the natural interactions between this real family to reflect our customers’ journeys and those relatable moments we can all identify with. We had an ambition to create a story which felt real and authentic, which is why it was so important to have a real family rather than four actors that don’t know each other.
“Building an emotional connection with our customers is at the heart of our new positioning and will sit across everything our customers will see from Halfords.”
Halfords’ new brand ad launches on Wednesday, 8th June.