Shutterfly’s holiday ads parody ‘meaningless stuff’ in first work from Quality Experience

So it begins. The holiday season is upon us, kicking off with a new campaign from Shutterfly that takes aim at all the impersonal, “meaningless” gifts given at this time of year. The holiday campaign, titled “Make Something That Means Something,” is the first work out of new creative agency Quality Experience (QX). It encourages people to gift personalized, emotional gifts and cards instead of stuff that nobody needs. Two 60-second spots directed by Noam Murro of Biscuit Filmworks convey this message by depicting all the gifts that end up in someone’s garage, basement, attic, under the bed, collecting dust … well, you get the picture. One spot spotlights Shutterfly’s holiday cards, while the other promotes its collection of personalized gifts. Each spot contrasts the abundance of impersonal, mass-produced items with the genuine joy and connection sparked by receiving a personalized card or gift. In the lead-up to the campaign, QX and Shutterfly launched a parody digital e-commerce brand, Meaningless Stuff, featuring stereotypically uninspired products to draw attention to the lack of meaning in many holiday gifts. Shutterfly has even been sending direct mail pieces branded as Meaningless Stuff (with a Shutterfly coupon inside). The overarching message is that shopping can become a checklist during the holiday rush. Shutterfly invites people to stop and rethink their gifts, encouraging them to offer memorable and cherished exchanges instead, said Bree Casart, chief customer officer at Shutterfly. “This time of year presents a unique opportunity to reach out to the friends and family we hold dear, sharing and receiving those personal glimpses into our lives and connecting meaningfully,” she said. “All year long, Shutterfly helps people capture and share moments that matter most. And at the holidays, we help our customers transform those moments into physical cards or gifts that show the recipient that they’re remembered and cared for in a way that resonates deeply.” Ari Weiss, founder of QX, told Ad Age that lots of research went into designing the junk gifts. “Cristina [Reina, chief creative officer] and I went into painstaking detail studying the mountains of mail we both get and the archives of meaningless gifts we’ve received and admittedly given at times,” he said. “We compiled binders full of reference and then handed it over to the brilliant art department at Biscuit to recreate. The more honest we could be, the more real we could get, the more we knew the work would resonate.” In addition to the spots, Shutterfly is unveiling its new holiday card collection and gift guides. The spots will begin airing in October through the holiday season across linear and streaming TV, as well as on social and digital channels. Watch the shorter ad cuts and see additional images below. More Creativity coverage from Ad Age: Sign up for our daily Creativity newsletter to see the best stories of the day.

Shutterfly’s holiday ads parody ‘meaningless stuff’ in first work from Quality Experience

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