Clothing retailer Cotton Traders has unveiled a new creative platform aimed at modernising the brand.
Designed to attract a younger audience, while maintaining its existing customer base, it was devised by creative agency TBWA/MCR, with support from MOB Films.
The campaign, titled ‘Full of Surprises’, was created after audience insights highlighted consumers thought the brand was outdated and “targeted at their grandmas”.
The survey found that 62% of Cotton Traders’ audience agreed with the statement: “Just because you look sensible, or are getting older, it doesn’t make you boring.”
Shona Jameson, chief marketing officer at Cotton Traders, said: “This is an important stake-in-the-ground moment for us to show that whether a loyal fan or a new customer, there’s more to us than meets the eye.
“As the clothing market continues to grow, this is a big opportunity for Cotton Traders to talk to the 50+ audience to drive growth for our business. Getting to know our audience and unlocking insights has been crucial in developing our strategy and this new creative brand platform,” she said.
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Comprised four films; ‘Debra’, ‘Gail’, ‘Bill’ and ‘Mike’; the brand platform aims to tackle common assumptions about the retailer and its audience.
In the spots, the four characters are placed in stereotypical situations with a twist. In one film Gail was shown popping off to the shops. But instead of travelling in a sensible family vehicle, she drives off in a convertible sports car while a voiceover described her passion for racing.
It will premiere on linear TV and broadcast video-on-demand from 23 March. The campaign will also run across print, online advertising, social media and out-of-home.
Lisa Nichols, executive creative director at TBWA\MCR said: “As the Disruption company, we love nothing more than taking a historically conventional brand and flipping the perceptions around it.
“The new Cotton Traders campaign gave us the opportunity to do just that, to do something different and challenge the conventions.”
