DFS partners with Aardman to celebrate ‘commitment to craftsmanship’
DFS have this week launched a new seasonal advertising campaign to celebrate the abilities and dedication of its factory workers across the UK. Teaming up with Aardman Animations and creative agency Krow, the spots feature real-life DFS employees re-imagined as meticulously hand-stitched puppets to reflect the theme of the campaign itself.
The design stage started after we’d chosen the voices from the various DFS workers. From that point we chose materials and fabrics, sculpted them in 3D and built them up into a more three-dimensional character.
The reason why we’re using material is to emphasise the fact that they are people who make sofas, and the idea of choosing fabrics reinforces that idea in a really simple visual way.
-Steve Harding-Hill, (Director, Aardman)
The idea for this campaign came directly from the people down at DFS. We’ve been lucky enough to meet a lot of the seamstresses, upholsterers and delivery drivers and we’ve heard a lot about their roles. When you hear from these people you can’t help but be inspired by the things they do everyday, so we decided we wanted to animate these people in some kind of way.
It’s been great working with the craftspeople down at DFS and with Aardman Animations. Together we think we’ve made something really special.
-Darryl George (Creative Director, Krow)
As well as the personal likenesses of the puppets, extra care and attention to detail was also required in order to replicate the products themselves, with each advert featuring 3-4 small-scale replicas of the brand’s sofas on sale.
Aardman, who have also made a name for themselves as a UK institution that puts craftsmanship front and center, crafted the models out of a variety of fabrics over a metal armature during a five-week period earlier this year. The first advert launched last night on ITV with several others to be rolled out in the coming months. The spots are directed by Aardman’s Steve Harding-Hill, whose notable work includes last year’s hit short film Ray’s Big Idea.
You can go behind the scenes of the campaign and learn more about the featured craftspeople on the DFS website.