We collaborated with Studio Yes agency on a new Christmas TV ad in 2023. While our previous ad had been successful for 5 years, we needed a fresh approach to showcase that Wonderbly books can be gifted to anyone during the holiday season, not just children.

As a key stakeholder, I was heavily involved throughout the process, providing feedback on art direction, script, set design, styling, and post-production. I loved the concept of breaking the fourth wall and think the advert looked overall more premium than previous ads.

Script and tagline development:

The agency used "Wonderbly" as an adjective throughout the script, describing family members (e.g., "the most Wonderbly mum", "the most Wonderbly auntie"). They proposed the tagline "Love them Wonderbly" for use across all touchpoints, however I felt it went against our TOV to suddenly use our brand name as a verb.

Concerned about moving from our successful, direct CTA ("personalise their book this Christmas") to a vague, brand-led approach, I suggested alternatives. After considering options like "It's the most Wonderbly time of the year," we settled on my suggestion: "Make it a Wonderbly Christmas."

Location and set design:

When the director initially chose a predominantly red house (red sofa, red walls), I provided feedback on the need for a more neutral setting. I emphasised the importance of appealing to both UK and US audiences and aligning with our target persona's modern tastes. Ultimately, I selected the final location: a house with varied room styles to accommodate different scenarios in one location. The chosen house also featured crittall windows, evoking both New York and London aesthetics. I also sourced specific set pieces to enhance the overall look.

On-set involvement:

I attended the shoot day, offering real-time feedback to the director (e.g., "show the book more," "fix her hair!"). I was also present for the voiceover recording sessions, providing direction to both UK and US voice actors.

It was fed back that my involvement helped result in a more premium-looking ad that effectively broadens our target audience for personalised book-gifting, while maintaining the essence of the Wonderbly brand.