Shutterfly Wants to Banish Generic, Throwaway Gifts This Holiday Season

No one wants the pre-wrapped fragrance set from Walgreens, the tabletop fireplace, the oversized chocolate fountain, any “talking” wall plaque or novelty necktie–and yet those gifts, or “gifts,” arrive each year, destined for dusty basements and yard sales across America.

Shutterfly, in one of the first holiday ads to launch for the 2024 season, suggests an antidote to impersonal, forgettable presents. What the brand leaves unsaid, diplomatically, is this: Stop giving crappy, throwaway gifts. You know who you are.

The campaign, “Make Something That Means Something,” comes from newly formed agency Quality Experience. It’s the first work for Shutterfly and also the inaugural effort from the independent shop after debuting early this year with industry veterans Ari Weiss, Cristina Reina, Colleen Leddy and Dan Gonda at the helm.

“Make Something,” through a series of videos, wants to contrast mass-produced tchotchkes and airport-grade swag with the customizable greeting cards and photo-centric gifts that are Shutterfly’s stock in trade.

“We played with the big idea of meaningless stuff and how ubiquitous it is and how much junk gets put in storage or piles up under the bed,” Weiss, the agency’s creative chairman and former global chief creative officer for DDB, told Adweek. “And we looked for a simple way to bring that to life.” 

Creatives chipped in with personal anecdotes and ended up with plenty of useless doodads and whatnots to serve as examples in a pair of hero 60-second ads, from lauded director Noam Murro of Biscuit Filmworks.

No judgement

Impulse buying is a common trap, Weiss said, with the campaign being rooted in reality, with a slight tinge of anti-consumerism sentiment, but free of harsh judgement.

“We’re all guilty of it,” Weiss said. “When we get into the noise of the holidays and feel all this pressure and end up checking off the list.”

As an alternative, the brand wants to “inspire people to rethink how they approach holiday cards and gifts,” according to Bree Casart, Shutterfly’s chief customer officer. The season provides a “unique opportunity for sharing and receiving those personal glimpses into our lives and connecting in a meaningful way.”

To pack an emotional punch, while avoiding the generic, Shutterfly is promoting a new holiday card collection and gift guide, where consumers can add their own images to coffee mugs, fleece blankets, pillows, puzzles, water bottles and wall art.

As an added element of the campaign, the creative team opened a parody e-commerce store on Shopify called Meaningless Stuff, offering 28 intentionally silly items—based on props from the commercial shoot—for sale at nominal prices. 

Consumers, obviously getting the joke, have responded by snapping up merchandise like portable foot spas (“like a spa, only smaller and sadder,” per its ad) and goofy ties (“let your dad know he’s someone you know”).

“It was kind of a Trojan horse exercise,” Weiss said. “We ran paid 6-second social ads giving the truth behind these meaningless gifts.”

Timing is everything

As an early holiday advertiser, Shutterfly is getting a jump on the inevitable fourth-quarter rush from brands in every category. There’s also the presidential campaign to consider, with its massive billion-dollar media buys in the coming weeks.

“Campaigns are launching earlier in general, but this year, it’s either get in front of the election or wait until after, which might be too late for some brands,” Weiss said. 

Timing was also key for Weiss and partners Reina (chief creative officer, formerly McCann North America), chief strategy officer Leddy, and CEO Gonda (both of Droga5) in hanging out their own shingle. 

Weiss, whose recent executive gig was at the 10,000-employee-strong DDB network, sees “tremendous opportunity” in the current environment, even given the ongoing push-pull between agencies and their clients, who demand more of everything—assets, ideas, strategy—while tightening their budgets.

“When [brand] money is flush, the big networks have the competitive advantage because of their scale and resources,” Weiss said. “But in lean times, the independents and startups have the upper hand—there’s a lot less waste, and there’s a value we can pass on.”

Headcount at QX varies from 10 to 20 people and, outside its core team,  most creatives are working on a project-by-project basis, with Weiss describing a “selective” approach to new business.

The Shutterfly “Make Something” campaign will air this month across linear and streaming TV, along with placements on social and digital channels.