Why Sitecore channelled David Brent to champion a human approach to digital CX
Sitecore won in the B2B category at The Drum’s Social Media Awards in 2022. Here we find out what went into the project.
Sitecore's Christmas campaign / Sitecore
Sitecore merged comedy with tech in a video series launched during the busiest time of year: Christmas.
The content, which was executed in three weeks, introduced the C-Ho-Ho, Santa, and his helpers, by giving viewers a workshop tour. While Santa is the jargon-speaking ‘face of the business, Santa’s helpers work behind the scenes to create useful customer experiences.
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The brief
Sitecore's goal was to raise awareness among its target audience while helping potential customers understand the services they provide. With a new client, a newly signed-off strategy, and not a huge pot of money, the team set to work.
The idea
Sitecore wanted to champion a more human approach to digital customer experience, so the content needed to tap into a number of areas: incorporate topics the audience cares about most, drive conversation, be created with the audience and platform in mind and put people at the forefront.
The brand tapped into how ‘real’ Santas prepare for the festive season while aligning closely with Sitecore’s strategy of being human in a world of tech. A key part of this was ensuring that entertainment was guaranteed.
Inspired by The Office and David Brent, Sitecore created the character of Santa who is a slightly smug but loveable fool who can usually be found showing off to the cameras, lazing around the workshop, annoying his unimpressed staff or spouting joke-infused jargon about how his business operates and how he creates the ultimate customer experience every year.
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With a mockumentary shooting style, they were able to give Santa's workshop the mundanity of an office environment. They peppered the script with tech-first topics of personalization, cookies, data, trends and forecasting – among the wider conversations you’d see in Santa’s workshop.
The results
This was a campaign of firsts for Sitecore. Not only was it their first time tapping into a comedy route. Overall, the campaign generated 1.1m impressions, 8k engagements, 577k views (126k more video views than forecast), 44% higher view rate vs forecast, 29k video completions, 1.8k clicks and 100% positive or neutral sentiment from the audience, which included tech enthusiasts, as well as brand employees and industry leaders.
This campaign was a winner at The Drum Awards for Social Media 2022. You can see all the winners here. The Drum Awards for Marketing are currently open for entry. Find out how you can enter now.