Wayfair heads to the Oscars as part of its ongoing rebrand

This Sunday, Wayfair is inviting consumers into the Wayborhood, its new brand platform that will air during the Oscars preshow and ceremony. The push, which includes the refreshed color palette and logo that rolled out earlier this year, is designed to attract viewers to Wayfair as a destination for all their home décor needs. The online retailer began working on the new work with Havas more than a year ago, following a pitch. The effort is Wayfair’s Oscars debut. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs The 30-second anthem spot airing Sunday shows a purple world where everyone has their own vibe, be it “Western,” “shine,” “gardening” or “dramatic.” It features celebrities such as long-time Wayfair brand ambassador Kelly Clarkson, along with actress Lisa Ann Walter, TV personality Lisa Vanderpump, actor Tituss Burgess, Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson, actress Stephanie Beatriz and fitness influencer Thoren Bradley. “It’s just the beginning of the concept,” said Paul Toms, who was promoted to chief marketing officer at Boston-based Wayfair last year from chief people officer. “A neighborhood is something everyone can understand, the concept of a place with a ton of different folks with a ton of different background and a ton of different styles and ways they want to show up.” Wayfair created at least three additional 30-second spots that will also roll out this weekend; it also produced a longer 60-second version of the anthem spot. Five 30-second ads will run on TV Sunday during preshow and post-show Oscars coverage and one 30-second spot will air during the awards ceremony. Wayfair handled media buying in-house. The new campaign comes ahead of Wayfair’s first brick-and-mortar store, a 150,000-square-foot outpost opening in a Chicago suburb this spring. After enjoying healthy sales during the pandemic when consumers under lockdown at home turned to home décor and improvement stores to spruce up their houses, Wayfair has seen its share of ups and downs in more recent months. Wayfair came under fire earlier this year when it announced staff cuts amounting to 1,650 jobs, or 13% of its workforce. The cuts came weeks after CEO Niraj Shah told employees to “work harder” in a memo. Wayfair’s revenue fell 1.8% to $12 billion in 2023, it reported in February, though fourth-quarter revenue rose 0.4% compared with the year-earlier period. Wayfair lost $174 million in the quarter, less than half the $351 million it lost a year earlier. The company faces a number of challenges to growth, wrote Neil Saunders, managing director at GlobalData Retail, in a recent research note, noting “doubts that Wayfair has a sustainable future.” He added, “We also question management’s understanding of wider market dynamics and the scale and scope of competitive forces in the market as rivals such as Ikea, and even Walmart, plot expansion in the US. This, in our view, will be a major future threat that could dampen growth even as the market picks up.” Sign up for Ad Age newsletters From influencer marketing to agencies, get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox Click here

Wayfair heads to the Oscars as part of its ongoing rebrand

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