Mothercare banks on posters and print for crucial Mcgarrybowen ad comeback

The Christmas ad season is a big challenge for all retailers, never more so than now in the UK when the depredations of online buying and business rate rises are in danger of decimating the UK high street. A good Christmas can make the difference between survival and extinction. It will be interesting to see how Debenhams, for example, approaches the season with new agency Mother.

Another UK fixture on the critical list is Mothercare and it’s running what it calls its first large scale ad campaign in more than a decade – ‘First Steps’ – through another new agency appointment Mcgarrybowen. So no pressure there then. The campaign runs in print and on outdoor through November, bought by Initiative Media.

Mothercare brand consultant Jayne O’Keeffe says: “The journey that new parents go through resonates and transcends generations. The First Steps campaign puts the focus on that journey and truly reflects the raw emotion of having a child. It celebrates the perfect and imperfect realities of being a parent to reinforce our heritage as the global specialist for new parents.”

Mcgarrybowen MD Charlie Hurrell says: “Mothercare is a loved heritage brand, with 57 years of supporting parents with their expertise and empathy. Few brands could claim to understand parents quite like them, and First Steps reflects the timeless relevance of the Mothercare brand by embracing the messy, real, beautiful and not-so-beautiful challenges of being a parent today.”

Which this does pretty well.

MAA creative scale: 8.