John Lewis Gives Holiday Storytelling a New Edge

Advertising Creative Design, Design Studio

CGI, Google Cardboard among tools used to produce blended physical and digital imaginary world.

By now we know that John Lewis can tell a good story. The UK retailer’s “The Bear and The Hare” Christmas commercial stroke an emotional chord last year with a heartwarming, classic-style friendship tale. This year, though, it’s showing [...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Santa Gets New Digs at Deptford Mall

Décor Themes, Design Studio

Macerich, HGTV partnership and collaboration with Pop2Life produce high-tech Santa HQ boasting “elfie” selfie station, Naughty O’ Nice Meter, and holiday videos.

HGTV has millions of viewers hooked on its dreamy home makeover shows and this year the network’s stylists have taken on Santa’s home-away-from-home at Macerich’s Deptford Mall in New Jersey, USA. Thanks to a collaboration with and expert [...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Kids Deck The Marlands Halls

Décor Themes, Design Studio

Battle of the Christmas tree trimming pits a dozen schools against each other to earn public votes on Facebook and win art supplies, tickets for Santa’s Woodland Grotto.

The stylists that The Marlands shopping center (Hampton, UK) turned to last year to decorate its holiday trees were somewhat green behind the ears, but they made up for it in enthusiasm. A dozen schools each developed their own visual theme to t[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Welcome to Planet Santa

Décor Themes, Design Studio

Scarborough Town Centre called on GES to create giant snow globes to contain displays that acted as vignettes of Santa’s journey around the world to entertain visitors and distract them from the long lineups.

A bearded senior who sleds around world in 24 hours, toy-making elves, and a reindeer with a glowing red nose? You might as well be on another planet. So Canada’s Scarborough Town Centre (STC) created one, Planet Santa, to keep visitors waitin[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

The Ideapolis Turns Christmas on its Head

Décor Themes, Design Studio

Art house SOFTlab of NYC creates INvertical tree made of 1,200-plus LED lights, then hangs it upside down above Siam Center’s atrium.

Familiarity is evidently not what Thailand’s Siam Center: The Ideapolis was going for when it collaborated with award-winning New York-based art house SOFTlab on its INvertical installation. To call the sculpture an upside-down Christmas tree [...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

The Art of Play

Décor Themes, Design Studio

Who knew that recycled toys and sporting goods could make as good decorations as baubles and lights to trim a Christmas tree?

When you say something out loud, it starts to become real. The marketing team at Downtown Silver Spring in Washington (DC), USA, is just fine with that. “Re-Imagining the Holidays” is the celebration that it sponsors annually in partnership [...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

MEC Champions Homeless Cause

Décor Themes, Design Studio

Shoppers come in from the cold to view mall’s Light of Hope installation, enter wishes on behalf of youth living on the street.

Canada’s Montreal Eaton Centre (MEC) surprised its holiday visitors yet again last year with an unusual installation. Supplier Studio Artefact created Lights of Hope, a contemporary five story work that celebrated winter lights and urban natur[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Here Comes…Shrek Claus?

Décor Themes, Design Studio

DreamWorks Animation brings magic to GGP and Forest City malls with DreamPlace holiday cottage where friendly ogre and family would feel right at home.

General Growth Properties (GGP) and Forest City Enterprises (FCE) marketers are dreaming of a fantastical Christmas this year, and it looks like it's about to come true. A few of their malls will host DreamWorks Animation's inaugural DreamPlace,[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Santa’s Instant Makeover

Décor Themes, Design Studio

Galeries Lafayette seeks a new look for Santa, turns empty store area info enchanted forest with holiday pop-up boutiques and a small theatre.

We know, Santa wouldn’t quite be Santa if he didn’t wear his signature red coat, black boots, big belt and floppy hat. Still, France’s Galeries Lafayette dared to ask Parisians last year, “How would you make over Father Christmas?” [...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

A Zero Waste Christmas

Décor Themes, Design Studio

Hillsdale chose its own interpretation of “green” when it decotated its holiday tree with materials found it recycling and depots centers.

Hillsdale’s Christmas centerpiece last year did not have the scent of a pine, but it was very much a green tree. Recology San Mateo County’s employee-owners designed and fabricated it using whatever they’d been able to find in its recyclin[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...