The work, which has been created by FCB Inferno, is the first major campaign under chief marketing officer Peter Markey, who .
It breaks this coming Sunday (16 November) with a 60-second spot during The X Factor, with further spots planned for breaks during other popular shows, including Emmerdale and I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, in the build-up to Christmas.
The campaign uses the strapline 'Get Christmas all wrapped up' and features Webb playing the ‘Minister of Christmas’, alongside a dachshund sidekick. The duo helps various celebrity customers in the setting of a modern Post Office, with cameos from Pixie Lott, Amanda Holden, celebrity chef Gino D'Acampo and Downton Abbey actor Jim Carter. The ads also feature Post Office staff.
"It’s a big moment for us," Markey told Marketing. "It’s the first time that we’ve advertised on TV at Christmas for more than five years. Over a third of our revenues on postage come at Christmas."
Markey said that for many customers, a trip to the Post Office is a once-a-year occasion at Christmas. "So we have once chance to get people to re-evaluate the brand," he said.
The campaign spans TV, with various 60-second and 30-second executions, outdoor, print and digital, with "very strong social-media elements". Media was handled by Mindshare.
The ads, which will run until 24 December, are designed to communicate several "proof points", including guaranteed next-day delivery, longer opening hours and greater-value prices to send parcels.
"The ads were shot in a studio representing the 3000 Post Office branches we’ve modernised," said Markey. "It’s very digitally led. We felt it was important to show how we’ve changed our position and are leading the way."
The campaign is the first concerted drive by the Post Office to communicate its . "We did a ," said Markey. "But this is the first where you can really see where we’re going. It’s more consistent in tone."
Regarding the recruitment of Webb to front the campaign, Markey said that there are no concrete plans to continue using the actor as the face of the brand, but added: "Watch this space. There is the option to do more."
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