Perhaps no three words cause as many tears on Christmas morning as “Batteries not included.”
Aware of this phenomenon, W+K New York and Duracell teamed up to launch Duracall Express, a delivery service which brought batteries to panicking parents in Chicago, Milwaukee and Minneapolis on Christmas Eve (which this year also happened to be the first night of Hannukah), saving children across the Midwest whose toys would otherwise have been useless the next morning. Duracell Express gave away a solid ton of batteries, delivering, if the case study is to be believed, right up until 11:45. Parents all across the Midwest could go online to order the batteries, which were then delivered right to their door. While the Christmas (and Hannukah) saving stunt likely won the brand some fans for life, we do have to feel for those delivery drivers.
“As a father of three young kids, I’ve witnessed the temper tantrums that can ensue when we’ve forgotten to purchase the right batteries for the toys Santa brings,” Duracell vice president of marketing Ramon Velutini told Adweek. “I was happy I got to help spread the word about Duracell Express and make sure the magic of Christmas morning wasn’t spoiled for any local children due to a lack of batteries.”