Zalando Embraces Positivity And Optimism With Holiday Campaign: “We Will Hug Again”

• Zalando holiday marketing campaign celebrates human connection in unprecedented times

• 360° “We Will Hug Again” campaign, co-created with Anomaly Berlin, to run across all 17 Zalando markets for next two months

• First phase of campaign to feature unbranded murals in prominent places across European cities to spark curiosity 

Berlin, November 9, 2020 // This holiday season, Zalando, Europe’s leading online platform for fashion and lifestyle, is celebrating the ultimate expression of human connection and solidarity: the hug. In this challenging year of uncertainty and separation, human connection feels more important than ever. The new holiday campaign, “We Will Hug Again” seeks to convey a feeling of optimism and hope for the future, when people across Europe and the world will be able to hug their loved ones again.

The simplicity and emotional impact of the hug can be felt throughout the campaign with scenes of friends walking arm in arm, a daughter hugging her elderly father, or couples of all ages, genders and orientations holding each other tight. The focus is taken away from staging, models and fashion, and put onto the real and relatable protagonists and the feeling of hope. 

“The central idea of our holiday campaign, human connection, is echoed in the way we engage with our customers. Our strategy is to be social first, allowing us to connect and engage with consumers through relevant and relatable stories,” says Barbara Daliri, Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing at Zalando. “It was important for us to address the exceptional circumstances and uncertainty of this holiday season and, at the same time, share the feeling of hope with our community.”

The campaign launched on 1st November and will run for two months. It kicked off with an initial tease phase, revealing huge unbranded murals by photographer Sarah Blais designed to drive intrigue and conversation. They appear in highly-visible urban locations across Europe and show two figures in an embrace, where the second person is missing and the question “Will We Hug Again?” is posed. 

From 8th November, Zalando reveals ownership and releases the campaign’s core optimistic message: “We Will Hug Again”. This message of hope will be depicted across numerous formats: from the completion of the murals with the second figure through all advertising, digital and social channels, including the moving film “100 Years of Hugs” shot by Haycock, still photography by Blais, OOH, DOOH and owned social channels by the large and diverse cast of this campaign. The 360° campaign was created in collaboration with creative agency, Anomaly Berlin and will be rolled out across Europe, in all 17 of Zalando’s markets. 

Veit Moeller, Anomaly Berlin Executive Creative Director, adds: “This simple but powerful campaign is a promise for our future. The goal was to peel off all those outer layers associated with the Holiday season and identify the rawest and most iconic symbol of human connection: the hug. Shooting a campaign around the globe, totally remotely, during a global pandemic has been a beautiful challenge and we are excited to bring Zalando’s message to the world.”

The film was shot across Nigeria, Vietnam, Italy, Mexico, Sweden and Germany by four directors, and beautifully curated by Haycock. Each film tells the story of one hug*, united by a coherent look and feel, enabling all films to be cut individually or together. Further adding to its moving nature, Frank Ocean’s ‘Godspeed’ is a track that embodies the feeling of human connection and togetherness.  

#wewillhugagain

@Zalando 

Notes to editors:
*All images and video content has been shot in accordance with government guidelines on COVID-19, specific to each country at the time of capture. All safety measures were put in place on all shoot locations throughout the world to ensure every single person featured was respecting COVID safety measures. All models are real family members, couples or friends who live together and are permitted to hug and be in close proximity. 

Campaign Credits Zalando:

Campaign Management: Mona Herdener, Katharina Kämpfe, Amit Margalit

Account Management: Milena Steinke, Naomi Scholz, Mona Mohamed Adel, Leonie Knorr

Head of Creative Direction: Lydia Gries

Art Director: Andrei Khashan

Global Social Media: Natalie Wills, Marieke Nelemann, Alexandra Dröner

Campaign Credits Anomaly:

CEO & Partner: Simon Owen

Executive Creative Director: Veit Möller

Chief Strategy Officer: Amanda Feve

Business Director: David Barton

Account Director: Joanna Hirst

Project Manager: Elli Pfahler

Senior Producer: Katrin Kaiser 

Strategist: Lennart Fleschhut

Creative Directors: Patrick Chambers & Delia Reyes

Copywriter: Omar Khairy

MEDIA INQUIRIES

presse@zalando.de