Harvey Nichols Use Footage Of Shoplifters In New Ad

When it comes to video advertisements for their shop, Harvey Nichols is a little bit braver than most. While John Lewis love to ham up the message of Christmas – unity, friendship, snow, furnishings – Harvey Nichols like to push the envelope with a bold grin. Remember their one-night stand ad that depicted women walking through city streets in the early hours with bedraggled hair and fabulous cocktail dresses? Clutch your pearls, because here’s a reminder.

Now the department store is keeping up the brave and clever with their new campaign to draw attention to their Rewards App. This week the video was spotlighted AdWeek.com, and it depicts genuine footage – faces are obscured to protect the ?guilty? – from the security cameras of the flagship London store in Knightsbridge.

At times the footage is a little bit shocking. The thieves are brazen, not incredibly subtle at times, and towards the end, when security are catching up with them, they are a little bit too confident. As the ad closes, ?Love freebies? Get them legally.? Via a loyalty scheme. It’ll save you the ?walk of shame with a security posse in front of people who are actually paying for the goods.