DDB brings The Warehouse ‘Kiwi’ back!
What better way to connect with consumers than creating an ownable icon that is known and loved by all New Zealanders.
Through multiple creative scenarios, which feature the Kiwi doing typically kiwi things, DDB New Zealand will deliver the weekly bargains from The Warehouse. Whether it be camping outside, mowing the lawns or lowering prices in store, the Kiwi Ambassador is driving home the message that The Warehouse is the place where everyone gets a bargain. View the Warehouse Kiwi is back! commercial
Agency: DDB New Zealand
Group Executive Creative Director: Toby Talbot
Creative Director: Kim Ellison
Creative Director, Retail: Kim Ellison
Creative Director, Retail: Mark Lorrigan
Creatives: Matthias May, Steve Ogilvie
TV Producer: Jessica Hogan
Account Team: Natalie Lowe, Jonathan Rea
Production Company: Automatic
Producer: Declan Cahill
Director: Simon Mark-Brown
Editor: Alex O’Shaughnessy
Grade: Peter Richie
Visual Effects: Jason Judd
Post House: Toybox
58 Comments
Holy nightmares batman. That Kiwi scared the bajeebez out of me. And I’m 31.
He’s drunk!
hahaha silly kiwi! You’re only supposed to wear ONE shoe per foot!
It’s kooky moves like this that’ll make you a hit with today’s youth.
Can someone help me out?
I have watched this 3 times over and for the life of me cannot figure out whty the fuck i like it..
I mean, its a fucking jingle, its retail and its a big bird that doesnt fly by it kinda makes me just a little smile
feel like i am 7 agian – the kiwi is back, the milky bar kid is riding back into the own.Who next?
Great to see a major retailer understand you have to give people a smile, then hit them over the haad with your offers – a lot better than what most do.
Ha.
They were the agency who proudly announced they’d dropped the Kiwi a few years ago.
Now they announce they’re bringing it back.
All that tells us is they got it wrong in the first place and they don’t know what they’re doing.
Go figure.
He’s cute! (I’m assuming it’s a he?) I think I want one…
Somehow he’s just fun. Makes retail advertising almost bearable.
I once had a friend who got kicked out of an international rugby player’s hotel room for jumping on the bed. This ad makes me think of that. Which makes my laugh. Which is why I like it.
Congrats on the job Mark. Good to see you landing on your feet…
This campaign was done prior to Mark’s arrival.
What a complete crock.
Self-congratulatory pats on the back from creative when the red sheds continue to report bad results. And DDB desperados resort to bringing back the kiwi they axed.
Gosh. Always interesting to see what DDB do when it’s not a scam.
If the campaign was done prior to Mark’s arrival why is his name on the credits?
Oh dear.
Not Lorrigan’s work.
DDB do some nice work, on SKY and pascalls, then there’s this.
Could someone tell me when the ‘smile’ happens?
the 9 into 6 thing is okay, but I’ve watched it 3 times over and can’t see much there.
2.29 I thought jumping was all international rugby players ever did on hotel beds?
Retail is retail…..good job for what it is just not sure if its right of the blog but hey.
last I heard the IP in the Kiwi wasn’t even owned by the warehouse and they had to pay massive talent fees that made him more expensive than real talent – which is why they axed him. This hardly seems like a giant leap into the future.
Depressing rubbish. Sorry.
What?! I got thrown out of The Warehouse for doing that stuff. How come the kiwi gets away with it?
This is shit. The best work for The Warehouse was when they had oliver driver as the voice over.
Looks like a series of donuts. But I like it, kiwis probably will too. Boom boom.
It’s official after this ad.
DDB are officially out of ideas on the Warehouse.
At least it will win them an award though – it should safely take Fair Go’s worst ad award.
Has anyone checked out Tobe’s title lately?
It’s bigger and better than Andy Blood’s!
If he’d like to expand it even further, he could always add the word ‘President’.
Group Executive President Creative Director.
clients…
8.04, you missing the regular income?
As a retail mechanic, the Kiwi is actually a bloody sound approach, regardless of whether it was canned in the past or not, those comments are quite inane and pointless. It’s not as if they brought the Kiwi back in exactly the same tragic form it was all those years ago. I actually agree with earlier comments that it would resonate with New Zealand. The problem is the entire way they’ve executed it.
The fact that the Kiwi says nothing is a ironic reflection of the campaign. What are you guys trying to say? The spot is quite juvenile at best, Reminds me of Jason and Thingee back in the day or a sports team mascot. The gags are cliche and slapstick, don’t you think potential Warehouse shoppers deserve a bit more?
This new character either represents The Warehouse (one can only deduce from the fact that he’s wearing the uniform) or he represents the customer. Either way where’s the depth of character? The charm, the wry kiwi humour, the cheekiness maybe? The sort of attributes that make the character and the brand really lovable to New Zealanders. Both the character and the campaign are shallow and lack direction I’m afraid.
Sorry but you’ve missed more than a few beats here guys. And I have to add that the first actual product and price ad I saw last night did nothing but reinforce my opinion of the campaign. It was a token and meaningless appearance by the kiwi. Straight out of the Warehouse bargain bin.
Warehouse marketing team – you should setting the bar far higher for yourselves and for your agency. If you want to attract viewers by being endearing and entertaining, do it in a way that’s relevant to today’s viewers, not the Benny Hill and 3.45 Live fans of yesteryear.
Rant complete.
What is going on at DDB? Big article in NBR today. This desperate PR’ing of the Warehouse work, the first time in years they have talked about this client. Strange given that the work is utter crap.
They must be in trouble with a big account.
Which one is it ?
9.10.
What a pointless rant. You are simply agreeing with everyone else.
Nothing wrong with the Kiwi. So why did DDB trash it to begin with, only to regurgitate it later? Maybe cos they realised they’d made a mistake???
And why bring it back in such a cheesy ad?
And then put every big swinging creative dick’s name all over it?
What a joke.
Axel summed it up well. Toby surely hasn’t touched this shit though?
My money is on the Lotteries account being in trouble.
simple, funny, light-hearted. good retail that will be liked by real people. everything else is just ad-banter.
It’s a retail campaign. Simple loveable mechanic that can be donutted all year long. It will work. But silly to put this work on the blog, it was always going to get slated in this bitter forum.
Utter bollocks. Not clever, not entertaining, just embarassing. Shame on DDB and The Warehouse.
Well then – the challenge is to get out there and do better….. all of you!
Go on – pull your socks up. Have we seen any good Retail in NZ of late. No. Even Brand for that matter….. come on inspire us all.
2.18 – its retail, it works – when have the warehouse ever done anything clever or entertaining?
I think the Kiwi could be very funny if the client allows it to be.
Shame on the ECD who felt he had to plaster his name on this one too.
Bet he never even saw it. He sure as hell wouldn’t want to work on the Warehouse would he?
Not when there are overseas awards shows to attend.
Jeez there are some harsh critics on here. He’s cute, my girls laughed. As for Axel asking what he stands for, what does the Briscoes lady stand for, where is her depth of character, does she work at Briscos or is she a customer? Does Dave really work at Wendys or is he an actor? Does Jude Dobson have any medical training to be talking about families health issues? Is the Harvey Norman guy yelling because of past personal problems or has he got hearing issues? What is the family history of the Pack n Save stick man, maybe they missed a beat not allowing him to talk or have facial expressions, yea, the Burger King guy should talk too. Vince Martin is Australian, should he be telling jokes that us kiwis will love? Why is this acceptable? Sure the Bunnings show real people, but what are their interests outside of work, what drives them emotionally and would the ads be better if they didn’t talk? If you saw all these retail vehicles at a party, I know who I’d want to hang out with. Vince Martin. But the Kiwi would be second.
6.21 All those references = sad state of retail ads here. A big reason why I don’t watch TVmuch anymore. Does Wendy’s still advertise? What’s Briscoes? Jude who? Family what? I last saw Vince a couple of Christmases ago. Or was it Easter? GO HARVEY !!
Away.
Is this a joke? This Warehouse TVC makes the Farmers ads Simon made 15 years ago look great. At least those ads had ideas that made customers want to visit the store, buy stuff and kept them in business. And how many arrangements can be used for a horrible jingle that’s been allowed to live for 20years? I suspect the agency CD has been taken away by men in white coats.
In terms of being an ad to PR on a creative blog = it’s rubbish (and why have you?).
In terms of getting a brand ad out of a retail client that at least is semi decent = it’s a miracle (and congrats).
6.21 The fact that your girls laughed supports my argument perfectly. Unless of course your girls are earning money and spending it at the Warehouse. Sure it might appeal to a couple of kids as they sit in front of the tv sipping a Milo before bed, but is it really going compel viewers to go and spend their hard earned cash there?
And using a supposed lack of depth in other campaigns isn’t exactly a defence. What are you trying to say? Because all of these other campaigns don’t try to create a deeper engagement with their audience then the Warehouse shouldn’t either?
11.14am – its not lotteries that is in trouble….its a very big, very ‘sweet’ account….ddb may be about to hit a ‘purple’ patch shall we say.
So Mr. Rose brand ads can entertain, retail must deliver a message. No fair. I\’m pretty sure the other 26 seconds of the ads will be about dirt cheap prices.
Well by girls, I was referring to my wife and two teenage daughters. I do have a 12 year old son too, my son sadly doesn\’t laugh at anything.
3:31. That’s a pretty shitty remark eh. There’s a reason why the ‘ECD’s’ name is on this campaign. He’s over everything at DDB, from down and dirty retail like this to big Lotto ads. I reckon Toby is easily the hardest working ECD in NZ. He doesn’t do that many overseas awards shows either I heard. He sends his creatives most of the time. There are way more selfish, egotistical ECD’s out there. Most have only a thimbleful of his talent. Leave the guy alone I reckon. He’s a good bloke.
5.03 The two are not mutually exclusive in my opinion, although sadly this has become the expected norm in New Zealand. There’s no reason why Retail ads cannot entertain, just look at the 2 degrees ads or ironically the Warehouse ads in past years.
And whether it carries a pure retail message or not, every single piece of communication from a brand ad, to a 30 sec product and price ad, to the ‘junk mail’ you find in your letterbox, is a reflection of a brand and therefore shouldn’t abstain from the responsibility simply because they have some hard-working selling to do.
AR
Btw if my son’s anything to go by, you’ve got a few years yet before utters a boo.
6.55.
Tui.
I don’t really watch tv – do Whitcoulls still use their charming-but-slightly-off-kilter-middle-aged-gent? He was really good.
If you shop at the Warehouse, you’re hardly concerned with taste. You’re povo. You probably eat junk food and watch league. Anyone jumping around in an animal costume will make them you happy. Over-complicating the simple things in life just makes them less appealing.
And I’m glad the Kiwi doesn’t talk. Talking animals had its peak in Milo & Otis.
The charming middle ages gent saw the Whitcoulls account put up for pitch because everyone thought he was a pedo.
He’s funny.
Just wish I could have thought of a kiwi character. So original. Genius.
Ah. I see that now the comments aren’t so favourable, someone’s thrown his toys out of his cot and added Kim Ellison’s name to the credits. (It wasn’t there when this first went on the blog.)
Not very subtle finger-pointing from someone who should be big enough and man enough to know better.
How predictable. How childish.
Shit Sparky!! You’re back at DDB?!! After the way they treated all the good guys………..
I haven’t met the warehouse Kiwi himself personally though if I did I would love to get a selfie or two with him and he’s quite an icon and a great mascot for the warehouse even the stores across new zealand