Argos has launched a new campaign to break the nation’s obsession with ‘greige’ interior design.
According to the retailer, grey has become one of the most popular sofa colours in recent years. “Yet how many of us can say grey is our favourite colour?”
Through the campaign, created by agency Ogilvy UK, the brand intends to reset Britain’s relationship with the on-trend ‘greige algorithm’ that is said to to influence many households styling options.
A series of eight-minute YouTube films sees interior designer Siobhan Murphy and a behavioural specialist use AI emotion-tracking technology to help a real family who have ‘lost their shopping intuition’. The family members’ emotional reactions to hundreds of Argos products are measured to collate a collection of stylised items. This behavioural data is then used to transform the family’s home, filling it with products that the family had a positive emotional response to, and which ‘authentically express their individual style’.
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“Argos is a true fabric-of-the-nation brand encouraging people to trust their instincts, rather than follow their algorithms,” Ogilvy UK executive creative directors, Johnny Watters and Angus George, said.
“The campaign is fun and heart-warming but also thought provoking, sitting right at the intersection of behavioural science, AI technology and pop culture. This work epitomises the huge creative opportunity of owned channels and organic social. You can’t just pay for eyeballs. The content has to be good enough to draw people in. It’s like a brand’s own capsule TV channel. And if you want more viewers, you need great shows. Watch this space.”
The campaign will feature across social media platforms and launches on YouTube this week.
Argos head of marketing and brand, Rob Quartermain, added: “There are so many different ways to style a home, it’s no wonder people get a bit of choice paralysis. The risk is we get overwhelmed, and we end up with homes that don’t reflect us. We wanted to help our customers trust their instincts a little more. Trust themselves. And reassure them that no matter how quirky or trendy or sparse or wild their tastes might be, we’ve got everything they need to make themselves at home.”
