Kmart punny campaign nabs award

The Hub Magazine has awarded Kmart’s pun-drenched campaign, “Ship My Pants,” best of show honors in its third annual Hub Prize competition. Draftfcb Chicago was the agency for the campaign.



“Ship My Pants prevailed because it solved a problem for shoppers — out-of-stocks — with a truly meaningful promise: If you can’t find what you’re looking for in our stores, you can order the item online, on-the-spot, and have it shipped, free-of-charge, to your home,” said Hub Magazine founder Tim Manners.



At the center of the campaign was a YouTube video in which various Kmart shoppers riff on the phrase “ship my pants” to off-color, comic effect (“Ship my pants? Right here?”). With an initial budget of $85,000, the result was a sales increase for Kmart, as well as a viral buzz. To date, the video has received more than 19 million views on YouTube alone.



Kmart interim chief marketing officer Andrew Stein said that “Ship My Pants” was effective both because it was funny and because it communicated an important message — namely that if the store doesn’t have an item in stock, consumers can order the item and have it shipped to their homes free.



As the Hub Prize best of show winner, Kmart is the recipient of the Hub Cup, a hand-crafted, solid-bronze trophy. A total of 36 Gold, Silver and Bronze medals were awarded based on evaluations by a panel of 25 judges, including leading academics, bestselling book authors, industry analysts and high-profile veterans of major brands and retailers. All winners are featured in the Nov./Dec. edition of The Hub Magazine.



Founded in 2004, The Hub Magazine is written for senior-level marketers at the world’s largest companies and is dedicated to exploring innovation as the ultimate driver of the brand experience. The Hub also hosts The Hub Live, an annual symposium centered on the brand experience, and sponsors The Hub Top 20, an annual ranking of excellence in shopper-marketing capabilities.