Credit: Kade Earls (Content Creation), Emma Higbee & Allison Havey (Art Direction), Kylee Hazard (Copy)

The Problem: Amidst the COVID pandemic, there are several people who are struggling to stay on top of their mental health. How can Homesick bring comfort in a time of chaos and uncertainty?

Consumer Insight: People crave familiarity. They long for the moments of their lives when they felt most at home.

Brand Insight: A Homesick candle is more than just a sweet scent, it is a fragrant reminder of a memory that is unique to you.

Big Idea: Homesick candles transport you back to the place of your fondest memories.

THE LINE: Spark a memory.

How Does It Live?

A 360 campaign with six elements that all tie back to the "Spark a memory" message.

tv spot

HOMESICK

Spark A Memory

“Book Club”

Open on a young man (STEVE) sitting in his home office. The desk is strewn with papers and STEVE is writing pensively in his notebook. STEVE finishes a single sentence and then reaches for a package on his desktop.

Cut to a closeup of STEVE's hands as he opens the package. A note on the inside says "Congratulations Steve! You're published!" Under the note is a book with STEVE's name printed in large letters across the cover.

Cut to a shot of STEVE looking at the book and beaming.

Cut to STEVE sitting down on the couch in his living room. A few matches and a candle sit on the side table and the room is very low lit. STEVE settles in the corner of the couch with his newly published book and picks up a match.

Cut to a tight shot of STEVE lighting the candle. One hand holds the match while the other covers the label of the candle. STEVE strikes the match and the candle flares.

Quick cut to a light flicking on in a library. The coloring of the scene changes to warmer, more nostalgic tones.

SFX: Thoughtful music plays under and throughout

A younger version of STEVE walks into the room and sits down at a table. Then, one after another, four other teenagers file into the room. Each teen wears a nametag and has a copy of the same book in hand. They are dressed in “fall” clothing.

STEVE introduces himself to the group. He points at his nametag, gestures to the book in front of him, and shrugs. One of the girls at the table eyes STEVE and smiles shyly. Then, the other teens briefly introduce themselves around the table. STEVE makes a few notes in his notebook.

SFX: Indistinct conversation.

Fade to a scene of the same group of kids around the same table with copies of a new book. They are now dressed in “winter” clothing (a few beanies/scarves/pairs of gloves can be seen in the shot). STEVE asks a question and gets into a playful argument with another teen. He stands and points to a page of the book and then a line in his notes, throwing his arms out as if to say “obviously”. The other teen laughs and rolls his eyes. The whole group is laughing and joking around.

Another teen asks a question and STEVE flips backwards through his notebook, passing page after page of notes and writing. STEVE answers her and someone comments that STEVE knows more about the story than the author.

SFX: Indistinct conversation and laughter.

Fade to a scene of the same group of kids around the same table with copies of a new book. They are now dressed in “summer” clothing. STEVE is reading a passage on the last page of his book while everyone else is following along.

SFX: STEVE's muted dictation

One girl rests her head on the shoulder of the girl next to her. All the teens are engrossed in the story. Then, STEVE closes the book and sets it down with a sigh. One boy shakes his head and one girl mouths “so good”. They pile their books in the center of the table. With another book finished, they deliberate over what to read next. One teen pulls out two books from her bag and holds them up for STEVE to choose from. STEVE smiles and pulls out a thick stack of papers from his bag.

SFX: Muffled laughter and indistinct conversation.

As the papers are passed around, the camera cuts to a close-up shot of the cover page which reads: THE COPPER VEIL by Steve J. Dunn. The papers are stapled, printer paper copies of a book that STEVE has written himself.

Cut back to a shot of the whole group at the table. The other teens read the title and smile. One pats STEVE on the back, another gives him a high five. STEVE shrugs and they start reading.

Fade to a scene of the same group of kids at the same table with copies of STEVE's “book”. They are dressed again in “fall” clothing. One teen reads while STEVE alternates between taking notes in his notebook and marking up a copy of his “book” with a red pen. After a few moments, another teen looks at her watch and gestures that it’s time to go. Everyone (except STEVE) gathers their belongings and walks out of the frame, waving and hugging each other goodbye.

SFX: Muted dictation.

STEVE stays at the table, flipping through his notebook and making revisions. Then, the library light flicks off suddenly.

SFX: Music quiets.

Cut to a shot of “present day” STEVE leaning away from the candle that he has just blown out. The candle smokes on the side table and STEVE lets out a satisfied sigh. The label of the candle clearly reads “Book Club”.

Fade to black.

End card fades in. A Homesick candle (featuring the logo) is lit with a match and the candlelight flares slightly.

SFX: The strike of a match

SUPER: (Appears) Spark a Memory

the script

For this campaign, we created three print ads to highlight a few of Homesick’s signature fragrances. The design of the smoke mimics the images and words that people might associate with a “memory” of the featured scent. We’ve also decided to incorporate a “scratch n’ sniff” element to our print ads to make them interactive. Because smell is such a huge part of our big idea, we want the target market to have a sensory experience with the ads.

PRINT ADS

billboard

We’ve also chosen to implement a billboard advertisement as part of our “Spark a Memory” campaign. Though the billboard will have the same aesthetic (more or less) as the print ads, what makes this billboard unique is that it is targeted towards nighttime commuters. During the day, the ad will look like this:

However, we’d install the proper lighting so that at nighttime the billboard will flicker like a flame. The movement near the candle wick and the warm, “yellow” lighting will catch the eye of passersby and set the billboard apart from other nighttime advertisements.

Billboard

This is digital advertisement that will be a targeted ad through Google. It will appear on the side banner of websites for individuals who:

Are out of state for college
Frequent travel blogs/websites
Or recently purchased an in-state flight

The banner advertisement will draw attention by asking the question what does ____ smell like? The candle scent will vary depending on where the individual lives and the data that we have about their travel habits, hometown, etc. For example, if we know that Emma is from Virginia but lives in Utah for school, the candle would read, “What does Virginia smell like?”.

The ad is interactive. So, in order to answer the question, the viewer must use their mouse to light the candle. When the candle is lit, various hand-drawn icons escape from the candle like “smoke”, portraying the “smell” of the given location. After the icons spill out, the ad will automatically redirect the person to the purchase page on the Homesick website for that particular candle.

digital

For one of the nontraditional components of this campaign, we chose to create a recurring event on social media called “Memory Meditation”. In the world of COVID, many people are turning towards meditation and yoga for relief from the stressors of their everyday lives. There are countless individuals who are searching for happiness or a moment of peace in what seems to be an endless cacophony of chaos. We’ve decided to capitalize on this opportunity by providing the public with a guided meditation class that is sponsored by Homesick.

social media

“Memory Meditation” will be held weekly, accessible to all and free of charge. The catch? In order to participate, viewers will be encouraged to purchase a Homesick candle of their choice. The candle will be an essential part of the meditation class because it will be what "connects” participants to their chosen memory- the “happy place” that they will envision during meditation to escape the drudgery of reality. Every step of the meditation process will be connected to breath, scent, and memory… hence the title “Memory Meditation”.

The class will be live, streamed from Facebook and Instagram. It will be shared with the hashtag #sparkamemory and promoted by various "life coach" type influencers.

The third and final element of our 360 campaign is a pop-up museum that will travel from city to city. In the “Spark a Memory” museum, several Homesick candles will be on display. Behind the candles there will be a white wall where visitors can write what the given candle smells like to them. People will be encouraged to write down specific memories or places that they associate with that smell. During and after the exhibit, Homesick will post pictures on their Instagram and Facebook of visitors and the memories that are shared on each wall.

guerrilla

The pop-up museum will start in New York, the U.S. city with the largest college student population. We chose to target touristic places with high student populations because we’re looking for:

Individuals who have moved away from their hometowns.
College graduates (or near graduates) who are on the cusp of starting a new life. They are moving into the unknown and want to hold on to something that is familiar.

After gaining some press in New York, the museum will move to L.A. and then finally to Chicago. It will be stationed in each of these three cities for one month- enough time to generate interest but also briefly enough to create FOMO.

The final “room” of the Museum will be a small pop-up shop for visitors who would like to purchase a candle. Those who take a picture with the memory walls or the candles and use the hashtag #sparkamemory will receive 20% off their purchases.