Retailers are thinking about more than just the big Christmas TV ads that are going to start landing in droves next week. There’s the whole extra challenge of tempting people to do some IRL shopping instead of approaching it from the safety of their own sofas.
Oxford Street made a big statement this week with the opening of a pedestrian zone that runs from Ikea across Oxford Circus and all the way down to Selfridges (Great Portland St to Orchard St). To accompany the move, the Greater London Authority employed branding agency Koto to create a whole new look and feel for the somewhat tired stretch of real estate that was once a premium shopping destination.
Interestingly, they haven’t shied away from the reality and have branded Oxford St as “Built by Romans. Ruled by pigeons. Same street. New tricks.” Koto wanted to create a brand that “felt part of the crowd, rather than an authority looking in” and they’ve certainly achieved their goal. The images even include pictures of the stalls selling tourist tat, and the vermin/pigeons that plague the place. The idea is based around Oxford St being “for everyone” and a place “where London meets.”
On nearby Piccadilly, seasonal stalwart Fortnum & Mason are making a big deal of its new Christmas window display. As you’d expect, it’s a traditional, nostalgic creation showing the different rooms in a house dressed for the season, brought to life by a magical fairy.
This week’s budget had a bit of respite for the bricks and mortar retailers in the fight against the tech alternatives, but they’re right to pull out everything they’ve got in the bid for a bumper Christmas.
