Argos' New Home and Furniture Collection is “So Stylish You Can Wear It”

Argos launches its new Spring/Summer home and furniture collection with a humorous new campaign created with The&Partnership. Targeting customers who wish to put a fashionable stamp on their homes, this 60-second commercial promotes the stylish homeware and furniture available at Argos and resonate with those who see their home as a reflection of their fashion style. 

“When planning this campaign, the insight that really stood out to us is that homewares – like fashion - enable you to express your personal style. And as many of us look for ways to make our homes more and more Instagrammable, this notion is increasingly important for our customers. In a joyful parody, our campaign plays on the idea that Argos home and furniture is ‘so stylish you can wear it’, celebrating the style credentials of our new range by tapping into familiar tropes from the fashion world.” said Gary Kibble, Marketing Director Sainsburys and Argos. 

Shot by Traktor at Stink Films, the commercial captures moments where everyday life is ambushed by striking individuals donned in spectacular outfits that are surprisingly made out of cushions, rugs, lampshades, chairs, plates and even deckchairs. As they stride down hallways, explode out of wardrobes and cause chaos in perfectly manicured gardens, ‘Fashion is My Kryptonite’ sets the pace and humour to the piece. The film was shot on Ari Alexa camera over three days in Bucharest. 

“Once we had sign-off from the client it was about bringing in a director who could envisage how good this could look, whilst having the subtlety to walk the comedy line. Traktor are known for their great pastiches and ability to combine excellent humour with sophisticated art direction; being D&AD Black Pencil and Cannes Lions Grand Prix award-winners didn’t hurt either. With their talent and the fantastic designs of Verity the costume designer, as well as Carl and Alice our creative team, our vision came to life,” said Danny Hunt, Creative Director at The&Partnership. 

Patrik von Krusenstjerna, Traktor Director at Stink Films added “We normally recognize a strong idea when we see one! And this was certainly one of those. When we received the scripts, we immediately realized that we had to do this. It felt fresh, new and fun - in equal measure. To create a proper fashion collection made out of furniture... It's kind of irresistible! In a way we're making fun of the fashion industry, but taking on the task with a serious face (and a big smile on the inside) felt like the right way to go. We also realized that this is a costume designer's dream, so worked closely with Verity Hawkes to design and create the marvellous outfits. We went for a glorious mix of serious, silly and above all stylish!” 

One of the biggest tasks for the commercial was to make the homewares catwalk ready. Stink Films brought in Verity Hawkes, an experienced costume designer who has worked on films such as Snatch, Revolver and About Time, and commercials for Sony, New Balance, HSBC and Guinness. 

“Argos is definitely one of the best jobs I’ve worked on; so much fun with such a great brief. We decided to approach the outfits from a couture view point to avoid venturing into the absurd. With the cushions it was about creating the best silhouette, in the most pleasing colourways, but with the bigger pieces such as tables, chairs and lampshades, it was about designing complementary outfits that did not detract from the product but created a complete catwalk look. Chairs as hats will be SS19’s biggest trend!” Said Verity Hawkes, Costume Designer. 

In order to inspire customers to shop Argos’ new homeware range and show it is a fashionable and stylish homeware destination, Omnicom Media Group’s PHD have transformed the media approach. The truly 360 campaign will launch across AV, DOOH and digital channels. AV will reach and engage a new younger audience via contextually relevant home content on linear TV, using sophisticated demographic and behavioural targeting techniques across VOD and accessing a highly premium environment in cinema. Digital OOH is a core channel on the plan which will heighten Argos’ fashion credentials, using data, PHD have aligned the plan to the rhythms of the audiences’ lives ensuring both the placement and content has the maximum impact. The result is an audience centric strategy, delivering desirability and appeal at scale to showcase new range. 

Argos ‘So Stylish You Can Wear It’ will air in the UK on Wednesday 3rd April on ITV at 9.45pm during the commercial break of the new crime thriller, The Bay. 

Yan Elliott, Joint ECD at The&Partnership London said “People don’t know just how stylish Argos homewares are... They will now! By tapping into the fashion world we hope this campaign will turn heads like a model standing in your living room, with a lampshade on her head.”