Kay recruited Saturday Night Live star Colin Jost for a holiday campaign that jokes about the pressure of finding the right gift.
In the ad, the comedian embarks on a treacherous journey, inspired by Homer’s The Odyssey, in search of a thoughtful present.
Amid a blizzard, a bearded Jost in a period-appropriate robe finally stumbles upon the gift he had been hunting for: a silver Kay necklace.
The campaign, created by The Martin Agency, departs from Kay’s previous holiday work, which focused primarily on the person receiving a gift. This ad instead addresses the annual struggle gift givers face when deciding what to buy.
According to the American Psychological Association’s 2023 Holiday Stress Survey, 40% of people have trouble finding the right gifts, making it one of the biggest stressors of the season. Kay wants to encourage people to “gift boldly,” with the message that “the biggest mistake isn’t gifting the wrong thing; it’s holding back,” per the brand.
“The holidays often bring pressure to find the perfect gift, but we want to remind shoppers that the most meaningful gifts come from expressing how you feel and showing up wholeheartedly for the people you love,” said Julie Yoakum, president of Kay. “Colin’s signature humor brings that idea to life in a way that resonates with anyone who’s ever second-guessed what to gift someone they care about.”
The campaign builds on Kay’s Love All In platform, which launched earlier this fall and introduced a new brand tone meant to capture the many ways love shows up today. It revives the idea of grand gestures, such as taking an odyssey, at a time when nonchalance has become the norm, according to the brand.
The work begins running this week across Kay’s Instagram and YouTube channels, linear TV, and streaming.
