Cotton Traders Encourages You to Challenge Preconceptions with Bold Brand Platform

Cotton Traders has launched a new brand platform to drive reappraisal of the brand to attract a younger audience whilst remaining loyal to its existing customer base. The new platform showcases that just because you choose comfort over couture, it doesn’t mean you're any less full of character and quirk.

Created by TBWA\MCR, in conjunction with MOB Films, the new campaign is an honest reminder to challenge preconceptions - because, like Cotton Traders' audience, Cotton Traders themselves are full of surprises.

The new brand platform, Full of Surprises, was borne out of audience insights. Cotton Traders found that, whilst brand awareness remains very high at 94%, many people thought the brand was outdated and for their grandma, not for them. Cotton Traders wanted to challenge this perception to shift that awareness to consideration.

The survey also 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.’
These insights unlocked the core focus of the campaign: Cotton Traders' audience may seem sensible, but there’s so much more to them than meets the eye.

The route to reappraisal was to showcase real personality and a strong point of view, which is exhibited within this first campaign. The four films, Debra, Gail, Bill and Mike tackle assumptions made about Cotton Traders and its audience. The characters are placed in situations where the audience would associate a stereotype with them and their actions, for example that Gail will be off to the shops in a plain and regular ‘run-around’ type of car. Instead, she defies expectations, pulling out of her driveway in a roaring convertible sports car, as the voiceover describes her passion for racing.

These characters within the film hold up a mirror to its audience, who are all unique in either the smallest or grandest of ways. Debra, Gail, Bill and Mike are also sources of inspiration, whether it be prioritising your zen or taking out your motor bike for a spin. All of this comes together to make Cotton Traders aspirational yet accessible.

The campaign focuses on authentic representation, putting mid-life women and men with a twinkle in their eye at the centre of the conversation - and doing so with a good dose of knowing humour.

The campaign will premiere on linear TV and BVOD on the 23rd of March. This TV launch will be accompanied by print and online press advertising, social media and OOH installments.

Shona Jameson, chief marketing officer at Cotton Traders, commented, “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 is continuing 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.”

Lisa Nichols, executive creative director at TBWA\MCR added, “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. So, no more dancing mannequins, no more unrelatable young models on fake sets. Instead, a surprising and utterly relatable take on what it means to be older and be confident in your own skin and Cotton Traders clothing.

Along with a set of four commercials, we worked closely with the client team at Cotton Traders to create a surprising and disruptive platform that will be a step change for the brand that will live and breathe across every part of the business.”