One of the criticisms often levelled at retail advertising is that retailers can falter in their ambition to do something different.
It’s a criticism that can’t be directed at Ann Summers in recent months, however – if there’s one way a lingerie advertiser can make sure it stands out from competitors, it’s by using models that differ from conventional choices.
The retailer launched a competition in September to find a new size 16 model for its catalogues and in-store posters, and last week it revealed 20-year-old Lucy Moore as the winner. TV viewers and online shoppers voted for her after the 10 finalists were revealed in a TV ad in November.
“The message is that women don’t have to look like supermodels to go into one of their stores, and I think it’s a brilliant idea,” says Allyson Stewart-Allen, managing director of consultancy International Marketing Partners. “There’s nothing radical about the campaign itself, apart from the fact that they have chosen a model who’s size 16. That encourages women to go into their stores.”
The choice positions the lingerie retailer as more of an “every day” brand that suits women of all sizes, she says.
Devised by advertising agency Good Stuff, the campaign has both a strong message and engages well by encouraging viewers to vote for the winner.
It also makes Ann Summers stand out from other lingerie retailers – a benefit in a crowded, difficult market.
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