Marshalls is leaning into humor for its holiday campaign. The off-price retailer has tapped Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers, co-hosts of the popular podcast Las Culturistas, to star in a campaign dubbed “It’s Giving Gifts!”
The comedians helped the retailer curate 15 categories of covetable gifts for the season, with each category reflecting the comedic tone of their podcast. Examples include: “Best gift for your situationship who got you a gift so now you have to get them one even though you didn’t know you were doing that…,” “Best gifts for the dad who takes the worst pictures of you you’ve ever seen, but you love him anyway,” and “Best gifts for the cool girl who is always late and makes you think punctuality is kind of embarrassing.”
“The idea for ‘It’s Giving Gifts!’ came from our belief that great gifting should feel personal, joyful and effortless,” said Sonya Cosentini, vp of brand marketing at Marshalls. “We wanted to move away from generic, one-size-fits-all gift guides that can sometimes make shopping feel more like a chore. Everyone’s shopping for people with their own tastes and personalities, so we built this campaign to really celebrate that.”
She added, “We believe we’re perfectly positioned to bring this idea to life because we truly have something for everyone, from the trend-obsessed to the homebody to the person who already has everything. Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, who bring such sharp humor and authenticity, helped us bring that spirit to life.”
“Marshalls occupies a very cozy, warm spot in my mind, because I would always go to Marshalls growing up with my mom, especially around the holiday season,” Rogers said. “So, when this opportunity came through, and Bowen had the same [nostalgic feelings about the store], it felt like a really natural and fun link-up, and we’ve had a great time doing it.”
For his part, Yang said that not only does he remember shopping at Marshalls in high school — “If you were skipping class, you would, like, go to Marshalls and, like, go on a tear,” he said — but he lives a block from one now and still frequents the retailer.
Marshalls provided Yang and Rogers with the gift guide frameworks, giving them general categories, like “beauty,” to work from, while also allowing them to develop some all-new categories. Rogers said the comedic process mimicked the duo’s process when they work on other projects, such as the Culture Awards. “[We aim to] be really specific but also really relatable,” he said. “When we feel the frisson after we’ve created [a great] Las Culturistas Culture Awards category, [that means] it has probably hit both those boxes. And so, we brought that sensibility to this process, too.”
The campaign encompasses video content, which will live on the social media pages of Marshalls, Rogers and Yang. In addition, Yang and Rogers will appear at the Marshalls location in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood. “We’ll be helpers for the day. We’ve got badges. We’re gonna interact with the staff and the shoppers, and probably get some [of our own] Christmas shopping out of the way,” Yang said. “We’re throwing ourselves into this in a way that speaks to our belief [in this campaign].”
He added, “Gift giving has fallen into [becoming a] protocol. But this [campaign] just adds some whimsy … What we’re trying to do here is be cheeky and funny, while also actually getting you to convert. Business term! Did I use that correctly?”
When asked who the campaign is aimed to target, Cosentini said, “We’re talking to everyone who wants their gifts to feel thoughtful and personal without overthinking or overspending. And, our goal is always the same: to give people access to great finds at incredible value.”
