Very Is Boxing Clever With a Vibrant New Ad

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Very kicks off the Autumn fashion season with a banger of an ad, full of colour and vivacity. Developed by its in-house team, the ad, “Discover Your New Season”, uses Jamiroquai’s 90s hit “Canned Heat” to create an upbeat 30-second spot that’s packed with products but never seems overwhelming.  

The trick they’ve come up with is inspired by another classic Jamiroquai idea – the sliding rooms from his “Virtual Insanity” video – with the Very box logo serving as a gateway to a series of scenarios where the Very department store has something to offer. There’s a couple decorating their flat, kids playing videogames, people getting back into their post-summer gym routine and a woman with a fantastical pink wardrobe to end the ad on a peak. It feels a bit like leafing through a physical catalogue, with something new on every page. 

Behind the ad, according to Very, is the concept of the “Autumn bustle”, that vibe where Summer’s over and it’s time to pick up the slack and get back into your everyday groove. But this needn’t be a chore – in fact it’s an opportunity to inject that routine with a bit of colour and new energy, which is why the ad is so bright and enjoyable. 

The ad is also promoting Very’s finance offer Very Pay, which gives customers more time to pay. So we tested it with a general audience as always, but for Test Your Ad Pro we also showed it to a custom sample of people who are open to these sort of small-scale, flexible payment options for purchases. 

The ad was a good performer for both samples, beating the norm on all our metrics but particularly strong on short-term Spike and Brand Fluency (rapid recognition). That’s what you might expect from an ad that’s exciting and dynamic, but what’s interesting is that the biggest gap between the samples was on long-term Star Rating, where the ad got a strong 4.4-Star Rating among the custom sample with stronger levels of happiness. 

What that says is that while both samples are keen on the ad and positive about Very, the Very Pay messaging is landing with the custom sample as an emotional benefit, not just a practical one. It shows Very as a brand that understands these customers and their lives and where these kind of small but game-changing purchases might fit in. 

The ad is also a great example of strong branding used well. The Very “Box” logo shows up at the very beginning as a gateway to the world the ad creates, which generates exceptional Fast Fluency (immediate recognition) for both samples – and also means Very doesn’t have to overdo the branding for the rest of the spot. Very has always been excellent and incorporating its assets, like its pink colour and box logo, into its creative, and this is a lesson for any retail brand that wants to juice up its Fluency as we head for the most competitive time of the year.