Zalando launches 'We will hug again' feelgood Xmas campaign

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Nov 9, 2020

Zalando has launched a festive season campaign that reflects the current circumstances with the company saying it’s "celebrating the ultimate expression of human connection and solidarity: the hug”.

Called We Will Hug Again, it “seeks to convey the feeling of optimism and hope across Europe”.

It includes a series of Hug Portraits, “intimate and emotive images” captured by documentary and portrait photographer Sarah Blais. 

And it comes along with a film called 100 Years of Hugs, that was overseen and directed by visual storyteller Vincent Haycock. It’s set to the track Godspeed by singer-songwriter Frank Ocean. 

The company said the “protagonists throughout are real and relatable people, taking the focus away from staging, models and fashion and placing it on the message of hope for the future when we will be able to hug our loved ones again”.  

Barbara Daliri, Zalando's Senior VP Sales & Marketing, said: “Our strategy is to be social first, allowing us to connect and engage with consumers through relevant and relatable stories. It was important for us to address the exceptional circumstances and uncertainty of this holiday season and at the same time share with our community the feeling of hope for the time when we will be able to reconnect with our loved ones.”

The campaign runs through November and December and launched with a teaser comprising the Hug Portraits appearing as huge unbranded murals in highly visible urban locations across Europe. The question “Will We Hug Again?” was asked.

The Zalando link was revealed from Sunday alongside the optimistic "We Will Hug Again” message.  

Meanwhile, the campaign's feelgood film was shot across Nigeria, Vietnam, Italy, Mexico, Sweden and Germany by four directors and curated by Haycock.