Fretex is the Norwegian Salvation Armys Thrift Shop.

This radio commercial was aired during Christmas 2014 - a period where radio channels in Norway not are allowed to broadcast commercial messages. Since Christmas celebration is very much about gospels, stories and contemplation, we wanted to create something that really stood out and which fitted into the Christmas mood. The solution was a 3 minutes long uninterrupted radio spot that went through the entire commercial break.

Instead of asking for more items to sell, we wanted to show our gratitude for everything people give us. At the same time we wanted to remind people of what they actually can donate.

We approached the project as a very hands-on visual project. So the first thing we did was to clear a large area in one Fretex shop (20 x 8 meters). We then started to sort out all the things we could find in the shop, things already donated. Using a pre-defined camera position, we started building different THANK YOUs of lamps, furniture etc. The shop was open throughout the process, and customers of the shop could witness the both the mounting and the finished installations. It was very important for us to not break or destroy anything in the process – so that it could be sold afterwards.

By doing this we had the opportunity to say a big thank you to everyone who had donated to us. At the same time the installations worked as a reminder of all the things you actually can donate to Fretex.

Fretex has a group of celebrity-ambassadors who from time to time share news from Fretex with their (quite big) social network. This diary was sent out to a handful of these ambassadors as a physical piece of content they could share with their followers. The craftsmanship of the diary and package combined with a human and emotional story gave the Fretex brand a more human and emotional dimension. It also strengthened the perception of Fretex as a fashion store.