Halfords new ‘Tour de Britain campaign, by Mother, initially launched in the mid June lead-up to the 2013 Tour De France as the UK bike retailer aimed to further capitalise on the UK’s current cycling craze.
Led by a spearhead TV spot featuring a fantastic race between all the various bike tribes and cycling segments found on British roads – from middle-aged men in lycra (MAMIL), to commuters, hipsters and kids – battling to climb up Box Hill in Surrey (where the 2012 Olympic Road Race was held).
Initially it seems that the professionals look set to win the race, before they are overtaken by a gang of children.
The spot, directed by Gary Freedman, ends with the tagline: ‘Halfords – bikes for all.’
The spot, the first created for Halfords by Mother since winning the business earlier this year, comes in 10-, 30- and 40-second versions for TV and in a 60-second spot will be shown in cinemas.
The initial brief to Mother was to create a summer cycling anthem for Halfords, the UK’s largest bike retailer, showcasing its range of bikes.
The aim for Halfords’ new campaign is to place the brand at the heart of the UK’s growing fondness for cycling.
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The Halfords campaign uses both the 100th Tour De France and the arrival of summer to celebrate and leverage the current surge in popularity of cycling following last year’s Bradley Wiggins historic Tour victory and Team GB’s astonishingly successfully Olympics Games.
Halford’s latest figures, released in June 2013, show like-for-like cycling sales rose 15.5% in the 13 weeks to June 28 – driving a 7.5% rise in group like-for-like sales. The retailer is on a drive to expand its cycling business under new chief executive Matt Davies and it has introducing a new range of cycle clothing and accessories, with changing rooms and mannequins being installed into Halfords stores alongside its traditional range of car parts and bicycles.
The UK retail market for cycling is now estimated to worth £1.4bn and, if Britain’s Chris Froome and his Sky team win this year’s Tour too then the boom looks well set to continue.
The brand has a track record of cycling sponsor and back in 2008 it backed the Great Britain team, while its current roster of UK cycling sponsorships includes the dynamic Halfords Tour Series.
The new campaign follows last year’s ‘Tour De Francis’ campaign from DLKW Lowe which saw amateur cyclist Dan Francis ride a set of Tour stages. His journey was then made into a documentary, available on Halfords’ YouTube and Facebook pages, while clips make up the idents around ITV’s coverage of the Tour. See previous case study.
‘Britain has definitely fallen in love with cycling and the activity is experiencing a new found popularity. The advert shows the inclusivity of biking – there’s something in it for everyone and the passion with which different cyclists pursue their sport,’ outlines Halfords Marketing Director David Durie.
‘More people than ever from all walks of life are saddling up and getting out of two wheels. As the UK’s largest retailer of bikes, Halfords wants to inspire cyclists of all ages and we offer a full range of cycles both in store and on line to cater for all tastes and needs.’
Mother strategist James Broomfield explained: ‘The ad is a summertime ode that celebrates all the various tribes of British cyclist and we hope will inspire viewers to get out there on their bikes. It’s a feel good celebration of the widespread joy of summer cycling; something the whole nation can rally around.’
Links
Halfords ‘Tour Of Britain’ TV Spot YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=01HMS4rcM5Q
Halfords Website
Tour De France Website
