Launched today a complete brand refresh for high street giant Myer. The long-time promise of “Myer is My Store” has gone as well as brand ambassador Jen Hawkins. Myer’s have gone all aspirational on us asking us to reminisce back to our childhoods to “find wonderful”.
The new 60-second spot features Tilda Cobham-Hervey tumbling down the rabbit hole reminiscing of childlike days of yore, escaping from today’s grey and the predictable world in a new tv ad . This is the first relaunch in 10 years with Myers acknowledging “Consumer expectations and behaviour have changed. We’ve been progressively making changes and improvements to our business and we think our offer today is as strong and relevant as it has ever been.”. Here’s the new TVC.
Myers insist this is more than just an advertising tagline, re-launching the company’s purpose and values in a bid to drive employee engagement and get consumers back in-store. CEO Bernie Brooks acknowledged “We have crystallised our vision and our team members have responded very strongly to the themes,” Brookes said. “Our team is incredibly energised to bring ‘wonderful’ to all our customers.”
So we visited Myers today to see how this new brand promise has been brought to life with-in the store environment.
We had high hopes for a full Alice in wonderland treatment as the new TVC hints towards. With approaches to new retail experiences long proven overseas by stores like Hamleys and Selfridges, promising and delivering an experience that trumps buying online.
Engaging experiences at store front level draw consumers in-store to experience something new, giving consumers a reason to return to the high street.
We had all fingers crossed that hopefully Myers being the retail beast it is had taken the bull by the horns and gone full bore after all, this is 10 years in the making. So off we went to see how Myers delivers on the new brand promise to “find wonderful”.
The window display was pretty lacklustre but at least an indication that something new was happening in-store even it was a simple window vinyl and a big white door from the TVC.
Maybe on entering this door we’re invited to enter to a world of wonderment?
Another window vinyl and random gifts informed us of the Christmas giftorium on Level 2!
Here we go through the looking glass….
Ok 3 wise mannequins? and cardboard camels, ok it feels a bit “op shop” but this actually got me personally a little excited about the retail wonderness that lay with-in.
Ok, more white doors, and mannequins. But I’m in-store now, shouldn’t this be where the magic happens? I suppose nothing says wonderful like checked shirts.
But hold on what’s this at the escalators?
Nope!
Floor Media took us the length of the store to finally arrive at….
Yes yes yes store information!!!! Wonderful!
Oooh, ok so it’s just the Christmas gift section of the store with a new name then? Maybe a Myer staff member could inform me when the “wonderful” happens in the Christmas Giftorium? The reply was classic as she breezed by “not sure it’s not my department, I try and find someone to ask if you like?” I said not to worry and continued to browse the obligatory bath sets and golfing gift bags. Ohh slippers!
In conclusion, a complete opportunity missed, I can’t imagine a number of great ideas that have ended up on the studio floor at Clemenger BBDO Melbourne. This sort of lazy execution of a big promise does nothing to get consumers back in-store as currently, they can find wonderful via the internet from the comfort of their own home. Consumers today have the most finely tuned BS detectors in history and big promises on TV ads that aren’t delivered after busting a gut to get to the store, leave a bitter taste in the shopper’s mouths. Cardboard point of sale that brings more of the grey and predictable world in-store doesn’t do anything to deliver on the promise, in fact this feels exactly like a badly executed Christmas campaign rather than a realigned brand.
Isn’t it time the Australian consumer deserved a little more in-store?
These giants of Australian retail are missing the trick that smaller specialised retail brands are scoring big on. Design an authentic and differentiating brand promise, then make your business a promise delivery system.
I can’t wait to see how long time competitor David Johns responds? Their current promise of “there’s no other store like David Jones” should almost be followed by… Well apart from Myer?”
So expect a “Discover Your Special” or “Find the magic” new brand promise to be rolled out in-store before Christmas. Or maybe we’ll be pleasantly surprised?
