Fortnum & Mason’s luxury fantastical Christmas
The luxury retailer's new festive campaign transforms 181 Piccadilly Street into a magical world of cartoon characters, crafts and Christmas wish fulfillment.
Fortnum & Mason has unveiled a new Christmas campaign, created by London studio OTHERWAY in collaboration with BAFTA-winning animation Studio AKA. The campaign, titled “A Fantastic Christmas,” continues last year’s festive theme but focuses on the brand’s historic home at 181 Piccadilly Street.
The 30-second film about the hero features the animated character in brief cameos: pouring sparkling drinks into champagne, wrapping the famous gift boxes, making tea and finally, in the final shot, assembling a gift basket that leaves the building. The moment is also a nod to the recently unveiled Fortnum’s double spiral staircase, which opened last month as a striking architectural highlight.
The animation blends CG product rendering with 2D textures that mimic the tactile, paper-like quality of Hajek’s illustrations, giving the film a stop-frame warmth reminiscent of childhood TV specials. “This year we have crafted a much more ambitious campaign that aims to bring viewers into the magic of 181 Piccadilly,” – says animation director Marcus Armitage.
Crispin Butler, director of marketing and communications at Fortnum & Mason, explains how the work represents a joyful continuation of the brand’s seasonal storytelling.
She says: “For the longest time, Fortnum & Mason has been at the centre of the best Christmas stories, and this year we’re proud to unveil a joyful new chapter with Olaf’s distinctive illustrations and our iconic 181 Piccadilly store at the heart of the storytelling.”
Ben Lewin, design partner at OTHERWAY, adds that extending the on-pack narrative into a fully animated world felt like a natural next step. “Two years after reimagining the Christmas packaging, bringing the on-pack stories into this second collaboration with Olaf has been extraordinary – uniting craft and creativity.”
The campaign has already launched across all Fortnum & Mason festive outlets and will run throughout the Christmas period.
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