Little Things: JCPenney by Spears & Arrows

 

 

Spears & Arrows
Santa Monica, United States
See Profile
 

Give us an overview of the campaign. What is it about and what was your role in the creation?
 
I was the Executive Producer who managed the job from the pitch to completion.  I was intricately involved in every aspect of the job.
 
The holiday campaign focusses on the significance and vitality of those intimate moments that create family traditions, or cement the ones that are already in place.
 


What did the brief ask for this work?

Director Don Broida was tasked with creating authentic storytelling moments with premium looking film in a manner that was intimate and identifiable.


 
What inspired you to approach the campaign this way?
 
We wanted to create cinematic stories that would be timeless, nostalgic and modern.


 
What’s a “behind the scenes” story that only you know about?
 
The wardrobe fitting filled the entire stage at Smashbox Hollywood. There must have been 60 racks of clothes, 3 tailors, 3 seamstresses, several AD’s and too many accessories to list.  It took several days to load-in and 2 days to fit our cast.

 
Are there any holiday ad tropes that you think should be retired by now?
 
I'd prefer not to see Santa Clause appear in any more ads. I think the allure of Santa Clause for children is the concept of wonder and fantasy.  I would not depict Santa a tangible character with cookies any longer.
 

What is your favorite holiday campaign of all time?
These are my two favorites by director Arni Thor Jonsson of Spears & Arrows:

Shy Tech

 

Minions

 
 

What can we expect from your Spears & Arrows in 2020?
 
In addition to embarking on the Spring campaign with JCPenney again, we are about to embark on our busiest month ever in January 2020.  We have booked jobs with The Richards Group, McCann Health and 31000 FT.  We are bidding several jobs right now that should book to shoot in January 2020. 


What do you think the advertising industry's New Year’s resolution should be?
 
To forecast content for all mediums at the beginning of the year and bundle production resources.
 
AND
 
To long live the :30 second story.