Argos shouts about digital transformation in biggest ever campaign

Argos is launching its biggest ever campaign to raise awareness of its digital transformation among consumers and make loyal shoppers ‘proud to be associated with the brand’.

Argos get set go campaign

Launching tomorrow (14 October), the campaign marks a shift in strategy, with the alien family that has been the company’s brand ambassador gone. The campaign introduces a new strapline “Get set, go Argos” that the retailer hopes will enable it to communicate a number of messages, from the range of brands it offers to its service proposition and great value.

The TV ad, created by CHI & Partners, will be backed up by Argos’ first cinema brand campaign, as well as outdoor ads promoting new the new brands it offers including Beats, Dyson and Habitat. There will also be print, digital and social media activity.

Argos is revamping its website and mobile app to its new brand identity, which gets rid of the old Argos turquoise colouring in favour of the newer red, and updating tills, point-of-sale, staff uniform, its delivery trucks and carrier bags to show off the “new Argos”.

Speaking to Marketing Week, Argos’ marketing director Stephen Vowles said the campaign is aimed at raising awareness of all the changes that Argos has undergone over the past couple of years. That includes the roll out of its digital format, which replaces the traditional paper brochures and blue pens with iPads, as well as changes to click-and-collect and the expansion of its product range, which now includes more premium brands.

Brand perceptions

He admitted that while people that have a digital store as their local Argos have noticed the difference and have reacted “fantastically” to the changes, outside that audience there isn’t much awareness of the transformation at Argos.

That is backed up by YouGov figures which show very little change in perceptions of the brand over the past year, with metrics such as Impression, Value and Quality remaining steady and no statistically significant increases or decreases.

This campaign is also aimed at getting the 35 per cent of UK households that don’t currently shop at the retailer to reappraise the brand. Argos wants to create an emotional connection and improve their understand of what the retailer offer while at the same time making more loyal shoppers proud to be associated with the brand.

“We want people to think and feel differently about the Argos brand. The distinctive space we want to own is more heartbeats, rather than heartstrings. Lots of retailers do ads that make you go ‘aaaaa’. We do need an emotional connection but that is probably not Argos’ territory, our territory is about the excitement, the speed of getting the products you want,” he said.

“Category of one”

The campaign kicks off with a brand spot that will run through to January next year. A Christmas version will launch at the beginning of November alongside ads focused around specific categories, such as toys or electronics.

There will also be tactical print ads in the run-up to Christmas that aim to use the same creative look and feel to get across Argos’ price message.

Argos aims to use this campaign platform “for the foreseeable future”, with the brand returning to TV at “obvious times of the year” with the same message. There is a likely to be another big push next Spring as the retailer looks to raise awareness of further changes to its service proposition.

Vowles said Argos is aiming to be unique in the market, creating a “category of one” through its focus on giving customers “what they want, when and how they want it”. It will do this, he said, by offering the best of both online and offline retailers.

“What we are trying to build is something that has all the functionality of a pureplay digital retailer but has 20,000 items in every local market that are available for pick-up now and speedy delivery. That combination of the benefits of digital with the benefits of immediacy and available locally, that is quite powerful,” he said.

Recommended