Each year, PNC releases its Christmas Price Index detailing how much the gifts in “The Twelve Days of Christmas” would actually cost (this year the total is $34,130.99) and news of the small fluctuations from year to year have become a staple of holiday news fluff and school math exercises. This year, PNC’s agency Deutsch found a pretty fantastical way to promote the effort: a fully-functioning, life-size gingerbread bank in Philadelphia.
Deutsch teamed up with Bredenbeck’s Bakery to create the colossal Christmas confectionary branch, which required 2.5 tons of gingerbread, 100 gallons of frosting and 1,232 gumdrops. The 340 square foot structure stood from December 4-6, serving customers, and also contained 12 columns from local pastry chefs detailing the gifts in “The 12 Days of Christmas.”
“It’s the kind of thing you imagine being able to do as a kid but never have the ability to do,” Deutsch executive vice president, group creative director Jeremy Bernstein told The Drum, adding that “he wanted to make sure the bank wasn’t just a popup but was something that could actually function and serve customers.”
If you couldn’t see the actual structure in person you can check out the video above and take a virtual tour online, but Bernstein stresses that this year’s effort was a departure from previous years, which had more of a focus on digital content.
Deutsch designer Lynne Yun, welcomed the change, stating, “From a design perspective, it’s not every day that you can design something that you can stand in and touch and feel,” she said. “We’re so used to designing in a digital world.”