Holiday Campaign Interview: Geoffrey the Part Time Reindeer

 

Tom Ewart
Founding Partner - Chief Creative Officer The Corner
In a few words, tell us about your role in the creation of "Geoffrey the Part Time Reindeer"

 

Creative Director, helping the creative team craft the story and the execution.
What was the original brief for this campaign?
Create a new Christmas spot for Toys R Us, using the famous, and much loved song, in a fresh and modern way.
What inspired you to approach the campaign this way?
With the explosion of internet shopping, we were interested in bringing Toys R Us back into the modern story of Christmas in a relevant way, that showed the fun of visiting the store and made Geoffrey a hero again.
How difficult was it to sell the idea to Toys "R" us?
It wasn't. They shared the same ambition and desire to modernise the brand and the story of Christmas, so when we first presented the script they were full of energy and enthusiasm for the project.
What was the biggest challenge you faced during the process?
Fitting the story into 30 seconds! Every frame was critical in telling the story whilst still allowing time to express the personality of each character and the arch of the narrative.
What did you learn from the experience?
Giraffes can fly!
What’s a “behind the scenes” story that only you know about?
My 6 year old daughter Darcey chose the final Santa design from the original Akama sketches because she loved his big eyebrows.
What do you think the advertising industry's New Year’s resolution should be?
Believe in magic.
What is your favorite holiday campaign of all time?
The Coke truck of course!

 

Tom Ewart
Founding Partner - Chief Creative Officer The Corner