Pier 1 Imports

During holiday season the amount of marketing done through newsprint, TV, and radio increases dramatically. From Thanksgiving through Christmas the average consumer is inundated with advertising.  One of the holiday advertisements that captured my attention last holiday season was the Pier 1 Imports commercial. In their 2012 Christmas commercial their home furnishings come to life and literally speak to the customers in the store. The reason I find this particularly creative is because they are building on the figurative expression “speaking to you” and making it literal. The term speaking to you is often used in the art world, meaning a person really likes or becomes connected to a work of art then the piece of art “speaks to them.” In my opinion, I find Pier 1's ability to use figurative terminology in a literal translation to be creative and effective. Pier 1 is banking on the concept that people like to feel connected to their home furnishing purchases. In the particular commercial I viewed, the home décor came to life and struck up conversation with a customer seducing them to bring them home. As a consumer, I consider Pier One’s advertising to be top notch and appealing and it always makes me want to go into their store and buy some decor. The company typically promotes a warm, comfortable, and inviting shopping environment in their advertising. Now that they are supplementing that approach, home furnishings and furniture that have personal conversations with customers only makes Pier 1’s television advertising that much more influential.