Currys Goes 'Full Dad Mode' to Sell Energy Saving, via AMV BBDO
Currys and AMV BBDO have hijacked the viral 'dad energy' trend with a 'full dad mode' campaign that turns nagging about switching off plugs into a cost-of-living pitch for energy-efficient tech.
The Campaign
Currys and agency AMV BBDO have built a mass-reach campaign around the 'dad energy' meme - the stereotypical dad who patrols the house turning off lights and unplugging devices. The 'full dad mode' idea nudges the nation to save energy and cut waste while positioning Currys' more efficient products and services.
It is timed for the run-up to the crucial fourth-quarter trading period, when big-ticket electronics purchases cluster and cost-of-living pressure shapes what people buy.
Why It Works
This is a textbook example of hijacking a live cultural trend for a practical retail message. Rather than inventing a world, Currys borrows one its audience already finds funny and self-recognising, which lowers the cost of attention and makes the brand feel in on the joke.
The strategic move underneath the humour is smart: it links energy saving, an everyday cost-of-living concern, directly to the case for buying newer, more efficient appliances. That reframes a considered purchase as a money-saving decision rather than a discretionary splurge.
Marketing Minute's Take
The lesson for retailers is that cultural relevance and commercial intent are not opposites. The best trend-jacking does a job: here, a meme becomes a reason to upgrade. If the trend had been bolted on without the energy-efficiency link, it would have earned smiles and no sales.
Our advice for brands eyeing the same play: only borrow a trend you can connect to a genuine product truth, move fast while the reference is still fresh, and make sure the funny bit and the buying bit are the same idea, not two ideas taped together.
Quick FAQ
What is the Currys 'full dad mode' campaign?
It is a Currys campaign by AMV BBDO that uses the viral 'dad energy' trend - the dad who turns off every plug - to promote energy saving and more efficient tech ahead of the Q4 season.
Why is Currys linking energy saving to buying tech?
It reframes a considered electronics purchase as a cost-of-living, money-saving decision, connecting an everyday concern to the case for newer, more efficient appliances.
What can other retailers learn from it?
Only trend-jack when you can tie the trend to a real product truth, act while the reference is fresh, and make the joke and the sales message the same idea.
Trend-jacking only pays when the joke does a job. Currys did not just borrow 'dad energy' for a laugh - it turned it into a reason to upgrade. Copy the discipline, not just the meme: if your funny bit and your buying bit are two different ideas, cut one. - Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
Cultural relevance and commercial intent are not opposites - the best trend-jacking makes the meme itself the reason to buy.
Could your next campaign tie a live cultural trend directly to a real product truth - or would it just be a joke bolted on?
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: Campaign, Retail Gazette, Mediashotz.
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
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