Innovation of the Week is a series highlighting retail initiatives that have caught the eye of our team. Every week, we bring you new ideas and case studies across consumer, technology, sustainability, economy, policy and industry.
What is it?
Argos has unveiled a new mockumentary-style social media series to showcase itself as a top retailer for trend-led, high-quality products.
In the series, a new fictional art gallery dubbed “Arghaüs” has been created to promote the launch of “the A-List” which represents a monthly selection of top brands and products from Argos.
Satirising the world of high art, the Arghaüs campaign turns coffee machines, air fryers, wireless headphones and electronic beauty products into high-concept art items.
It focuses on a behind-the-scenes look at the gallery’s chaotic team during key moments such as opening night, portrayed by a cast of actors.
Why does it matter?
In partnership with creator-first social agency Billion Dollar Boy, Arghaüs has been described by the agency as “Argos’ most ambitious creator campaign to date”.
The narrative, characters, and visuals aim to tap into what Billion Dollar Boy said is the “growing popularity of episodic content and ‘vertical dramas’”, which is essentially longer-form content that combines entertainment and marketing across social platforms.
The first series of Arghaüs launched in June across TikTok, Instagram Reels and Stories, comprising four two-minute-long episodes and social shorts. The newest episode launched in August.
Billion Dollar Boy chief executive and co-founder Ed East said this marks Argos’ “boldest campaign yet” with the branded creator content being “culturally relevant and creatively ambitious”.
“The campaign reflects Argos’ willingness to experiment and a growing confidence in the potential of creator marketing, developed over a longstanding relationship with Billion Dollar Boy,” East added.
“The campaign taps into emerging content formats that audiences are actively choosing to spend time with – character-led, socially native, episodic storytelling.”
Strategic Implications
The creators’ combined following of 17.8 million and paid media support from PHD Media have meant that across TikTok and Instagram, the campaign’s first two episodes have driven more than eight million impressions.
This is along with a 90% positive sentiment, and an 8-14% uplift on “top of mind” brand awareness.
Eye-tracking data, which tracks the number of users who kept eye contact with the screen for the full video, also revealed an average “attention score” between 84-91%.
Argos influencer lead Hannah Bussell also said that Arghaüs is its “most ambitious creator campaign to date” in scale and creative vision, representing and pushing boundaries of how a retailer “shows up in culture”.
“We’ve built a campaign that feels distinctive and playfully premium – reflecting the bold personality of the Argos brand while showcasing our A-List range in a way that feels culturally relevant and creatively fresh.”
By bringing a campaign to platforms where audiences are most engaged, Argos and Billion Dollar Boy have used humour and creativity to grab attention.
Bussell concluded: “Our aim is to inspire, entertain and ultimately cement Argos as the destination for desirable products.”
Winning strategies
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Social media to boost brand activity and awareness
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Unique marketing and advertising
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