It’s Australia’s authentic version of a classic summer – a white sand breaker beach swathed in generous stripey beach towels, totes and duffel bags to carry the must-haves for sandy adventures: brightly-coloured bathers and relaxed cottons for transitioning into summer evenings around food-laden tables in the outdoors.

Country Road Head of Marketing, Lina Cabai, says the campaign showcases a seasonal range that allows shoppers to discover refreshed signature designs, including a range of clothes and items bearing nostalgic Country Road archive logo graphics.

“It plays on our heritage and the role we’ve played in Australian summers for almost 50 years. It centres around the idea of spending time together under the Australian sun.

“Retro shades of rockmelon, candy pinks, sand and seaside blue hues dominate the range of sweats, bikinis, towels, totes and duffel bags, clothing and tableware.”

The campaign includes a 30s catch-up TV ad, digital ads, OOH, and - for the second year running - Country Road has partnered with gift flick® to add a more personal touch to customers’ digital gifting experience. Directly tying the creative into the gifting moment.

gift flick® will enable Country Road customers to send a personalised video message, or ‘gift story’ with every purchase, which also showcases imagery of the gift. This message can be sent to loved ones via a unique URL, ahead of the real gift arriving in the mail.

“gift flick® has been a great success since we started using the platform for evergreen and seasonal gifting in 2021 and we’ve enjoyed 20 times return on our tech investment in gift flick®*. It’s great to be able to tie the gifting experience into our creative while also allowing the gifter to be the one in control of the delivery,” says Cabai.

Data shows 92% of customers using Country Road’s gift flick® stories are choosing to gift physical items, such as sweats and totes rather than nominal gift vouchers.

gift flick® Co-Founder & CMO, Helen Marsh, suggests “maybe it’s because it feels more personal and that the person has still taken the time to select a gift or maybe it’s a bit to do with not wanting to disclose an amount spent on a gift. Different customers will have different motivations but they are definitely warming to it.

“The message and video can help the gifter explain why they thought the gift would be perfect for the occasion, which is a really nice touch. The URL is also easy to share via any digital channel at any time you choose – via text, social media or via email.”

The gift flick® user guide can be found here on Country Road’s website

Cabai adds: “it’s definitely been a great addition to our marketing mix – in both supporting the seasonal creative look and feel and providing our customers with new ways to share a little Country Road goodness with their loved ones.”

Country Road will also be using the gift flick® platform to send personalised messages in December to its most valued loyalty members as a ‘surprise and delight’ thank you for their continued support.

“We’re sure our ‘Icons of Summer’ campaign will resonate well with Australians and hope that results in seeing lots of our iconic stripes on Aussie beaches this year,” Cabai concludes.

*November 2021 to May 2022 data