JCPenney spread Joy, Comfort, and Peace

Move over “Jingle Bells” and “White Christmas,” there is a new holiday song to get stuck in our heads this year: JCPenney’s Joy, Comfort, & Peace.

When the JCPenney creative team decided to create their holiday spots around an original new holiday song, they turned to a couple of their favourite collaborators to bring their musical campaign to life. Creative Director Brian Flores at Breed Music+Sound supervised the music and Director Don Broida of Spears & Arrows directed the campaign.

“Like any musical,” says Brian Flores, “this campaign began with a song. When the JCP creative team came to us with this idea, the first thing they said was: ‘We need a hit.’ Well. No pressure there, right? But we loved the challenge. We do music for all kinds of projects but it’s usually in support of the existing visuals. This was a chance for us, our music and our lyrics, to drive the story. So, we jumped at it. And the song ‘Joy, Comfort and Peace’ a playful mashup of soul, pop, and feel-good Motown, was the result.”

Long-time collaborator, Don Broida, was the next stop for the JCPenney creative team. “I love musicals,” says Broida. “Especially holiday musicals. So, when the team at JCP pitched this idea to me, I was in. One hundred percent. And later, when I finally heard Breed’s song, I was more than a-hundred-percent in.”

Carl Byrd, the new VP Creative & Brand Synergy at JCPenney added another fun twist to the campaign after he saw the C-Notes, a family singing group, on the musical competition show, America’s Got Talent. He reached out to them, and soon another spot for the campaign was born.

Breed collaborated with the C-Notes to create a new arrangement of the song in the C- Note family style. And, once the music tracks were finished, Spears & Arrows and Don Broida went into production. For the Brand Campaign, Broida and team shot in the store and around town, put up holiday decorations, and make it snow to create a magical world where shoppers, employees, friends, neighbours, and families all join in to sing along with the catchy tune.

For the C-Notes spot, and in a nod to their own series of popular YouTube videos, Broida filmed the family in a living room filled with their musical instruments and holiday decorations. As the family plays and sings, they’re matching JCP outfits magically keep changing. Over the 4-day shoot, Spears & Arrows produced 2x :30-second brand spots and the :15-second C-Notes spot.

“A project like this is such a joy to work on,” says Spears & Arrows Founder/Managing DirectorJason Wolk. “Our four-year relationship with the creative team at JCP has produced great work in a wide variety of genres: lifestyle, comedy dialogue, stylized fashion promos, and now a couple of really fun musicals! The JCP team is special to us. Creative Director Lucinda Simmons has and continues to be a wonderful collaborator, and the rock-solid producer Kathleen Torres makes it all happen. I’m happy to count them as clients and friends. In today’s market, that is a rare relationship, and we treasure it.”