The fourth instalment of the 'Life Made Fabulous' campaign pushes the autumn/winter 2012 range and launches tomorrow (29 August) during 'Emmerdale' on ITV1, after being previewed on Debenhams’ social media channels.
Television activity will star designers including 'Next Top Model' judge Julien Macdonald, Jasper Conran and 'Styled to Rock' mentor Henry Holland, and is seeking to drive home the brand's 'designers at Debenhams' messaging.
Richard Cristofoli, marketing director at Debenhams, said: "It is building recognition of the format – rather than chopping and changing the campaign every five minutes, which I feel a lot of retailers, and perhaps we in the past, have fallen into the trap of.
"The whole point here is building the cut-through rather than trying to tell something totally new in a totally different way every time."
Cristofoli claims the retailer's increasing investments in each instalment of the campaign are testament to the board's confidence in the marketing team.
Creative by JWT is voiced by 'Belle du Jour' actress Billie Piper and features a backing track by Northern Irish indie rock band Two Door Cinema Club.
Television activity will run until 9 September and will be supported by a digital media push via Debenhams.com and Debenhams TV, which will include interviews with the designers, a look at how they work and a showcase of their collections.
Cristofoli said: "By the nature of the size of our business we are not in the league of spending some of the money the likes of the grocery retailers spend, so what we need to do is make sure every element of that customer journey reinforces the same message, rather than being bombarded with loads of different messages, and social has been a key part of that."
Last year's launch of the 'Life Made Fabulous' campaign was the first brand-based TV work the retailer had launched for four years, marking a change in tack from sales-orientated TV executions.
Cristofoli added: "Up until the last 12 months, if you hadn't been motivated by a sale message, we weren't giving you a reason to come in and shop with us. With the 'Life Made Fabulous' campaign we've proven we've got an incredibly engaging story and product."
Debenhams is keen to drive home its 20-year design heritage and claims its own research shows customers are increasingly associating the retailer with style and see it as a brand on the up.
Of the six fashion designers showcased in the Olympic Games Closing Ceremony, Jonathan Saunders, who designs for Debenhams, was the only one who works with a high-street retailer.
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