The Container Store’s Quest to Help You Find More Room Reveals Space Oddities

It is amazing how quickly the blank canvas of a home or apartment can change. Boxes of old photos (some of which you’d probably rather forget), ticket stubs and merchandise from concerts that you’ll never look at again—and, for those with kids, the sheer mass of toys, toys and more toys. And that’s just inside the main areas of the house. Garages can be wastelands of nothingness with an array on 1/500th-filled paint cans, old bags of dirt and those tools you thought were an excellent idea to buy 15 years ago. And don’t even get us started with kitchens and closets. Staring at the clutter can raise the blood pressure. Putting the elephant squarely in the room, The Container Store is, er, “celebrating” the chaos of clutter in a new brand campaign from Austin-based Preacher. Four new commercials feature in the campaign, with a space-themed opening in each to set up the premise, and hit three relatable pain points: garages, kitchens and bedrooms, with a light touch and humor that definitely hits home. For homeowners or people who rent homes, “Proper Approach” shows the inevitable garage obstacle course in the quest for finding things. [kickout id="1"] “Unexplained Disappearance” highlights the frantic shuffling of stuff in a kitchen drawer—in this case, to find a wayward pizza cutter. [kickout id="2"] “Trapped in the Void” brings us the talents of a young teen, helping his parents find a storage container lid with his “gangly teen arms,” while “Open Space” has a couple pondering the wisdom of merely up and leaving their jam-packed walk-in closet behind. [kickout id="3"] [kickout id="4"] All close with the brand's new tagline: "Where Space Comes From." “We want to help people discover the power of space and looked at this idea from every possible angle someone may encounter in their home,” said Felipe Avila, vice president of marketing at The Container Store. “We believe it is critical that we show our customers that we understand their day-to-day challenges with space and are committed to helping them accomplish all the storage and organization projects they’ve set out to do.” There’s much to like in these fun spots and even more to enjoy about the brand refresh itself, with the launch coming on the heels of next-generation store design and new digital resources. “There's a lot of love out there for The Container Store, including inside their walls," said Rob Baird, Preacher’s chief creative officer. “It's been a Best Place to Work for 19 consecutive years, and we were looking to surface that latent love by tapping into the brand's (beautifully organized) soul and serving up the benefit in an even more approachable way." Besides the TV work launching on national cable, the campaign includes more online video, out-of-home, radio and in-store signage. CREDITS: Client: The Container Store Chief Marketing Officer: Melissa Collins VP of Marketing: Felipe Avila Creative Director: Ryan Jones Agency: Preacher Chief Creative Officer: Rob Baird Chief Executive Officer: Krystle Loyland Chief Strategy Officer: Seth Gaffney Creative Director: Jason Ambrose Brand Director: Katie Gibson Copywriter: Susannah Sodergren Art Director: Stacie Larsen Copywriter: Mark Donnelly Copywriter: Gabe Long Art Director/Designer: Sally Franckowiak Strategy Director: Marika Wiggan Executive Producer: Stacey Higgins Producer: Tara Leinwohl Business Affairs: Carianne Humpal Production Company: Gifted Youth Executive Producer: Dal Wolf Director: Fatal Farm Head of Production: Anthony Ficarola Line Producer: Talbert Morton DP: John Peter Casting: Mel & Liz Casting Edit House: Cartel Executive Producer: Lauren Bleiweiss Producer: Greer Bratschie Editor: Ed Line Assistant Editor: Josh Miller Music: Human Mix: TBD Post, Dusty Albertz Finish House: TBD Online Producer: Kate Eads Online Artist: Dennis Valk Colorist: Marshall Plante, Olio Creative