Online retailer looking to build on advert’s success

Sep 25 2008 by Alistair Houghton, Liverpool Daily Post

HOME shopping giant Shop Direct has launched a major new £3m advertising drive, following on from its successful summer campaign.

Its LittlewoodsDirect.com site has launched the new multi-channel “Rain Dance” campaign to promote its autumn and winter ranges.

It follows the popular “Island” campaign from earlier this year, which featured models wearing clothes from the company’s summer collection and speaking to each other in international language Esperanto. The advertising campaign was this year recognised by a leading industry website as the second-best in the world.

The new 30-second Rain Dance advert was shot at Malaga Botanical Gardens, in Spain.

Speke-based Shop Direct, which has annual sales of £1.5bn and owns brands including Additions and Kays, said the film “takes inspiration from music videos to showcase the clothes for the new collection in an inspirational and entertaining way.”

It aired for the first time during Coronation Street on Monday, and will be aired for five weeks. It will be supported by adverts in the press and online.

Shop Direct’s group trading director David Inglis said: “Our investment in LittlewoodsDirect.com over the last few months has paid dividends.

“We have seen significant growth in awareness of the brand and most importantly in intention to purchase.

“In addition, the number of unique visitors to the website has increased by almost 40%, so we plan on continuing with our above-the-line investment in the brand.”

Shop Direct is now working on a new Christmas advert it says will be a “departure from the tropical island look of the summer campaign.”

Shop Direct dropped Littlewoods from its corporate title in May, but is using the name in its Littlewoods and LittlewoodsDirect brands.

LittlewoodsDirect.com’s Island advert was named second-best in the world by industry website, adforum.com, which is visited by more than 450,000 people every month.

The 40-second advert, which was filmed in Brazil, was second only to Coke’s Unity advert.

Shop Direct is also continuing its investment in its websites. It recently launched individual sections on its websites for ten brands including Adidas, Hotpoint and Sony.

Mr Inglis said: “This idea is a further example of our move to become the UK’s leading online retailer.”

alistairhoughton