Connie and Trevor return for Argos Christmas ad

Toy duo Connie and Trevor have returned to the small screen to be the stars of Argos’ advertising campaign this Christmas, showcasing the range of brands and gifts on offer from the retailer this festive season.

The hero film shows Connie on a dance across a table on Christmas Eve as she struggles to contain her excitement in anticipation of the big day.

On Trevor’s directorial command “Lights, camera, coffee machine,” Connie emerges from the shadows to unveil herself wearing a pink Christmas jumpsuit; against a backdrop of steam conjured up by a coffee machine.

Channelling her youthful energy and the festive spirit of the period, we then see Connie strut past a series of Argos products, used to heighten her performance.

On her long walk across the table, in perfect rhythm with the music, Connie passes a Sonos speaker and Habitat Gold cocktail shaker which sparkles against her sequin jumpsuit.

As she comes to the big finale, we realise that Trevor has been filming all this on a phone, or at least he was supposed to, much to the dismay of Connie who has just finished her performance with a wind-swept aplomb, courtesy of a Shark hairdryer. The film ends as Connie cartwheels across the festive table asking, “please tell me you got that, Trev?” It is unveiled that Trevor has in fact been recording himself the entire time whilst Connie claps to herself proudly.

The tale, a modern day take on the classic ‘toys come to life’ narrative, builds on Argos’s brand platform - ‘There’s More To Argos’ - which launched earlier this year. It aims to showcase the array of products on offer from the retailer, from toys, home and beauty, to tech, positioning Argos as a destination for quality and style, as well as great value.

Developed by The&Partnership, the film was directed by Traktor and animated by Untold, with the characters voiced by People Just Do Nothing’s Ruth Bratt and This Country’s Charlie Cooper. The disco classic Le Freak by Chic is played to accompany Connie’s big show.

Laura Boothby, Head of Campaigns at Argos, said: “There was no better way to show off what you can find at Argos this Christmas than bringing back our loveable and family-friendly characters Connie and Trevor. In a festive-themed adventure, the dynamic duo spotlight just a few of the incredible products our customers can buy this Christmas, and bring them to life in a witty and playful way – igniting the Christmas joy our customers can find at Argos.”

Matt Moreland and Chris Clarke, Creative Directors at The&Partnership, added: “We wanted to pull out all the stops for the latest Argos instalment. It is Christmas after all. So we teamed Connie up with some stylish merch, a world class choreographer, and a remix of one of the best disco tracks of all time. Surely nothing could go wrong?”

The 30-second TV spot will launch with high-impact OOH running across the country. 10-second TV spots will also run from 19 November.

The campaign will live across, TV, BVOD, OOH, press, social, online, radio and PR in the UK. There will be stand-alone short form films created specifically for TV, BVOD and social, alongside a suite of TikTok films that show Connie and Trevor like never before.

Credits

Client: Argos

Chief Marketing Officer: Mark Given

Director of Communications & Creative: Radha Davies

Head of Marketing & Brand Communications: Laura Boothby Campaign Manager: Jade Nielsen

Marketing Campaign Executive: Tiff Winchester

Campaign Assistant: Ben Arnold

Campaign Assistant: Melissa Williams

Campaign Title: Argos Christmas: Dancer Agency: The & Partnership

CEO: Sarah Golding

ECD: Toby Allen

Creative Directors: Chris Clarke & Matthew Moreland Senior Creative: Carl Storey

Head of Integrated Production: Charles Crisp

Senior Agency Producers: Alfie Glover-Short, Sam Topley

Managing Director: Gary Simmons Business Director: Alice Poole

Senior Account Director: Alex Fitzsimons Senior Account Manager: Sasha Ford Account Manager: Emily Colinese Planning Director: Matt Linnett

Senior Strategist: Isabel Day

Production Company: Stink FIlms Director: Traktor

Executive Producer: Jon Chads Producer: Traktor

Production Manager: Nurjan Nevzat Director of Photography: Pär M. Ekberg Production Designer: Poppy Luard Costume Designer: Amy Albertine Andrew Choreographer: Lizzie Gough

Editor: Ryan Beck @ Final Cut

VFX Studio: Untold Studios

Exec Producer: Melody Alexander

Producer: Ange Toner

Production Assistant: Natalie London

VFX Supervisors: Chris Redding & Jon Wood

CG Supervisor: Tim Philips

Animation Supervisor: Aimee Westley

VFX Artists: Amanda Cheung, Bhavesh Budhkar, Daniel Escobar, Emma Lepuil, Jack Bond, Irina Alzuru, James Primhak, Kerim Camdzic, Michael Diprose, M Gopikapriya, Rachel Bosc-Bierne, Sarah Higgs, Swati Barnwal, Tom Paterson, Emine Arkin, Jan Kanta, Rebecca Clay, Sebastien Gaucher

Online: Richard Harris Colourist: Julien Alary Colour Producer: Eli Sandal

Audio Post Production: Grand Central Recording Studios Audio Producer: Kelly Noble

Sound Designer: Munzie Thind

Music Supervision: DLMDD