Glenveagh Unlocks Magic of Christmas in Support of Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation

Glenveagh is unlocking the magic of Christmas with the help of TBWA\Dublin, in support of Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation, by refreshing Santa’s traditional tale of gift-giving for an increasingly energy-efficient world.

Glenveagh, as a leading home builder across Ireland, delivers airtight, A-rated homes, which are therefore chimneyless. Their innovative building technologies sparked the central question of the festive campaign – just how does Santa visit boys and girls who don’t have chimneys? Galvanised by this conundrum, TBWA\Dublin undertook qualitative research through their 100Voices panel to better understand the nature of the perceived problem at hand – noting that many children have begun to connect the dots between a non-existent chimney and Santa’s visit, which planted seeds of doubt that Santa would be able to visit. One parent mentioned: ‘I even notice now how our kids are starting to talk about it – that one or two of their friends don’t have chimneys and they’re worried about how Santa is going to get into their house’. This research confirmed to the team that the age-old tale is out-of-date, and in need of a revamp for our modern era. 

The solution was provided by the introduction of The North Portal, a new magical way for Santa to visit boys and girls. Inspired by the Christmas wreath, The North Portal is a passage for Santa to travel through to visit boys and girls, an update from Santa’s traditional method of visitation. This story, fit for modernised home-building technologies, most importantly widens the narrative to include all children, no matter where they are this Christmas. After all, it’s the Christmas ethos that everyone gets to share in the same magic and excitement of Santa, with no child (or home) left behind.

In keeping with the giving spirit of Christmas, the campaign is running in support of Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation’s Home for Christmas Appeal. The funds raised to help reach their ambitious target of €1 million will continue to provide essential in-home nursing and care for children with highly complex and life-limiting medical conditions and their families throughout the country. Consequently, each and every time The North Portal is opened, Glenveagh is donating €1 to the foundation, with the goal of reaching €50,000. After each activation of The North Portal, children will receive a certificate from Santa himself, as proof of their support for the hundreds of children currently under the care of the foundation, as well as confirmation of their placement on the Nice List that entails a visit from Santa on Christmas Eve.

“It’s been very special to work on TheNorthPortal.ie campaign with the team in TBWA and Jack and Jill Foundation. A magical idea that we hope will add to the wonder of Christmas for parents and children, wherever they spend Christmas this year. Most importantly, we hope that the campaign will drive awareness of and much needed funds for the Jack and Jill Foundation at a very important time of year for the children in their care," says Cameron McDonnell, head of marketing at Glenveagh. 

“Glenveagh is Home of the New, but that doesn’t mean we leave traditions behind. This year, using the core brand attribute that Glenveagh’s A-rated homes don’t have chimneys, we wanted to ensure Santa has a way to visit all homes this Christmas. Alongside Glenveagh and many many talented elves, we created The North Portal. A fun, new, interactive portal that builds upon Christmas family traditions.

All visits to the website contribute to Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation’s Home for Christmas Appeal too, bringing a little more comfort, love and joy to families across Ireland. We’re so proud to be part of this story and to continue making great work with the wonderful team at Glenveagh,” adds Leona Smyth, art director at TBWA\Dublin.

“It’s rare that you get to work on a campaign as special as this one. For me, this was down to all the amazing kids that were part of it. This campaign was really brought to life by kids throughout the entire process. From bedtime questions about Santa, in-house focus groups, unofficial brainstorms over family dinners, kids inspired many elements of this campaign. The icing on the Christmas cake was hearing their thoughts (and gasps of amazement) when we finally revealed The North Portal,” comments the creative team at TBWA\Dublin. 

All campaign assets are live with integration across radio, digital, social, DOOH, OOH, video-led social, display, and PR.