Crown Estate - Celebrating IRL Christmas Shopping With Alexa Chung

The Challenge 

Make Regent Street in London the go-to destination for Christmas shopping.

The Manifest Approach 

Cut through the festive season noise by hijacking Cyber Monday with Amazon’s Alexa IRL.

Regent Street 

London’s iconic Regent Street wanted to be the go-to destination over the Christmas period. To cut-through the festive noise, as shoppers flocked online on Cyber Monday, we launched ‘Hey Alexa’, a tongue-in-cheek campaign that celebrated the virtues of IRL shopping with Regent Street’s very own real-life Alexa [Chung].  

Cyber Monday is a pinnacle for online sales, so we hijacked it to showcase the gifts and experiences that can only be found ‘IRL’ on Regent Street. Through ‘Hey Alexa’, we took a playful jab at faceless online shopping mechanics and asserted Regent’s Street’s position as a world-leading destination for unique experiences – just as it turned 200 years old. 

We brought the ‘Hey Alexa’ campaign to life with Alexa Chung cross-channel, giving shoppers the opportunity to summon her to their aid for advice on finding the best Christmas gifts for common people who are hard to buy for. Video content was adapted for paid, earned, social and owned media to drive awareness and interest in Regent Street with cheeky anecdotes and references.

A live Instagram broadcast allowed people to request advice from Alexa as she responded to Christmas shopping conundrums and questions on Regent Street’s social channels. Alexa Chung also created a unique earned media opportunity, providing press with her top tips for Christmas shopping on the high street.