Penguin Ventures partners with Barbour on Christmas campaign

Leading heritage and lifestyle brand, Barbour launched its new Christmas campaign online yesterday in partnership with Snowman Enterprises Ltd, managed by Penguin Ventures.

A sequel to last year’s campaign ‘Gifts They’ll Always Remember,’ ‘The Story Continues’ imagines Billy, the young boy from the much loved children’s animation The Snowman and The Snowdog, the sequel to Raymond Briggs’ classic book The Snowman, as an adult. It includes 45 seconds of never before seen animation as the film breaks new ground combining original and fresh footage to create Billy’s family for the first time.

The campaign is focused around a 60 second bespoke animation film, made by Lupus Films which, like the original, focuses on actions rather than words. It introduces the new characters of Billy’s wife and daughter alongside Billy, the Snowman and the Snowdog and begins with the line ‘When snow starts to fall on Christmas Eve, magic can happen…’

Paul Wilkinson, Global Marketing Director, Barbour said: “It has been exciting to work with Snowman Enterprises Ltd to create this beautiful Barbour interpretation of the next chapter for Billy, something that has never been done before.   Barbour is a brand that evokes fond memories of shared experiences, times and places and we wanted to express this emotion within the film.  By combining original footage from The Snowman and The Snowdog animation alongside 45 seconds of new footage and introducing family characters, we’ve created a magical film that recreates the nostalgia of childhood, the joy of giving at Christmas and that special feeling of spending time with friends or relatives you may not have seen for a long time.”

Thomas Merrington, Creative Director, Penguin Ventures said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with Barbour for a second year running to continue Billy’s story together with our beloved Snowman and Snowdog characters.  Barbour and The Snowman are iconic brands that share a heritage of British design and quality.  The campaign, with its focus on the magic and wonder of a family Christmas will enchant viewers.”

Barbour’s social media channels will promote the campaign using the hashtag #BarbourChristmas and shortened versions of the animation film.  A series of engaging blog content inspired by the film will feature throughout November and December on Barbour's website.

From 9 November, Barbour’s retail stores will promote the campaign through point of sale, windows, in store gift tables and exclusively designed carrier bags.  A special limited edition The Snowman and The Snowdog pin (as seen in the film) will be given away with every Barbour purchase.

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