Each year, as the holidays draw near, you can depend on Kmart to start rolling out ads for its reserve-now, pay-incrementally layaway program. (In fact, Kmart couldn't even wait for the official start of fall to begin touting it this year—the company's first Christmas layaway ad aired in September.) While the ads usually focus on the convenience of the layaway plan, for its latest spot, the mass retailer is finally taking a different approach by poking fun at its competitors' not-so-great offers.
The minute-long "Boardroom" spot, by Draftfcb in Chicago, imagines the corporate headquarters of a fictitious competitor as a place where villains gather to deprive consumers of a good deal. The company's chairman kicks things off by announcing that the marketing department has asked that they start offering layaway, but, being terrible and all, he's determined to make it as inconvenient as possible. So he calls on his hodgepodge of evil board members—Genghis Khan, Satan, the "evil doll from my childhood," the "guy who always takes the last donut"—to come up with ideas for thwarting would-be layaway customers. (Blackout dates! In-store only! No apparel!)
Considering the lack of ingenuity that Kmart often displays in its layaway campaigns, it's nice to see a spot that attempts to be something other than heartwarming or mom-friendly. And frankly, I'll take weird boardroom Satan over Sandra Lee any day of the week.
CREDITS
Client: Kmart
Agency: Draftcb, Chicago