Myer Decides the Best Christmas Gift Is Proof You Were Paying Attention

Myer wants Australians to believe Christmas shopping is an act of attention, not an act of commerce. The department store's new campaign, "Say More with Myer," developed with Howatson + Company alongside Myer creative director Kristen Hancock, builds its entire pitch around a single reframe: a gift's value isn't the price tag, it's the proof that you actually understood the person you bought it for.

The creative plays out at a long summer Christmas lunch, the kind of scene that reads as distinctly Australian rather than a reskinned Northern Hemisphere snow-globe fantasy. A granddaughter paints her grandmother's lips red, two boys won't let go of their teddy bears, a daughter tries on her mother's sunglasses, and each small, specific moment becomes a wrapped Myer gift with a handwritten note attached. The films run across television, YouTube, outdoor, social, and radio, with a full Christmas takeover of myer.com.au and placements in major Sydney and Melbourne train stations, meaning Myer is betting on omnipresence as much as sentiment.

Chief customer officer Amanda McVay's line sums up the ambition: "We want Myer to be the place Australians come to find that gift, with the range and the expertise to help them do it." That's a retailer trying to own the emotional job of gift-giving, not just the inventory. The real test comes in January, when the returns counter finds out how many shoppers actually got the memo versus how many just bought a candle.

Source: Mediaweek

Kyle Duford, Founder & Editor, BRNDWIRE. More from Kyle →