After a five-year hiatus, Tommy Hilfiger will return to the airwaves with a holiday TV campaign called “Feast Interruptus.” It will launch Monday on U.S. national and local TV networks, as well as tommy.com.
Featuring “The Hilfigers,” who made their debut in the fall 2010 global ad campaign dubbed “The Ultimate Tailgate,” the commercial is directed by Francis Lawrence and styled by Karl Templer. Trey Laird, chief executive officer and executive creative director of Laird + Partners, Hilfiger’s ad agency, is the creative director.
The 30-second spots mark the holiday season with a meal al fresco. In the opening scene, a Wagoneer — its roof overflowing with all the necessary accoutrements for a major fall picnic — pulls into a large meadow. The Hilfigers begin piling out of the car in what is a seemingly endless stream of adults, children and much-beloved dogs. Within seconds, the Hilfigers pull out a picnic table from the car, unfurl plaid tablecloths and set the dinner place with fine china and abundant food. The family patriarch stands to give the annual family toast when chaos breaks out — the Wagoneer suddenly pulls away, dragging the table, the clothes, the settings and all the food with it. As the family chases the car, there is Chloe, the youngest Hilfiger, at the wheel. In another version, Morgan IV, the family basset hound, drives away.
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“I’m very excited to once again communicate our visual identity and brand message through television,” said Tommy Hilfiger, principal designer and visionary of the brand. “The Hilfigers campaign truly captures our 25-year heritage of twisted preppy American sportswear. To me, ‘Feast Interruptus’ captures the fun and loving chaos of the holidays and, hopefully, will bring the feel-good spirit into our viewers’ homes.”
The company will spend an additional $7.5 million on the TV holiday spots, which feature the characters in full-out preppy regalia, wearing clothing from all of Hilfiger’s lines: runway, the Macy’s collection, Tommy Hilfiger Sportswear collection, accessories and licensed products. Hilfiger spent $32 million on its global ad campaign last year, excluding fragrances, according to published reports. In a story in July about the launch of “The Hilfigers” global campaign, Avery Baker, executive vice president of global marketing and communications at Hilfiger, a division of Phillips-Van Heusen Corp., noted the company planned to increase its spending this year by 60 percent.
Filmed in Los Angeles, the commercial features similar faces to the fall 2010 print campaign. The ads will run through Dec. 5 on national broadcast and cable networks, including ABC, Fox, the E network and Bravo. It will also be featured on tommy.com, where users can read up on each “family member” and find details on the looks they’re wearing in the commercial. The Tommy Hilfiger Facebook and Twitter channels will also host the commercial and special giveaways throughout the three-week TV campaign.