DFS raises sights upmarket with £12m brand 'film'

The drive, with a 'Making everyday more comfortable' strapline, will focus on a boy enduring a bad day before collapsing on the sofa when he gets home.

DFS will use the 90-second ad, the longest it has run, to draw attention to its handmade-to-order sofas and 10-year guarantees. A further 20-second spot showcases quality products.

TV activity will run for six weeks with media handling by MediaCom and is being supported by brand-focused press ads in monthly magazines.

DFS appointed Krow to its £84m account in November to handle a creative U-turn following a change of ownership.

The furniture retailer decided action was needed after research found consumers did not enjoy the 'harsh shouty style, they didn’t believe the Footballers’ Wives sets, and didn’t believe the acting of the artists in the TV ads'.

DFS is concerned it has failed to land additional messages such as its 10-year guarantee because, in the past, it has simply flashed such messages on-screen in the form of a graphic during a heavy price-led ad. 

Under the previous ownership of Lord Kirkham, the 'advertising wasn't as good as the business and [DFS] always under-promised and over-delivered', according to its head of marketing, Mark Mallinder.

DFS was sold by Lord Kirkham to private equity firm Advent International in May 2010 and is now run by chairman Richard Baker and chief executive Ian Filby, both former executives at Alliance Boots.

Mallinder said: 'Quite clearly they are on a strategy for growth - one clear area that is in the Advent strategy for DFS is building the brand.

'This is about an "and" process rather than an "or" – it’s not that we are going to switch off any promotional advertising and move completely into brand advertising.'

This article was first published on marketingmagazine.co.uk