Crate and Barrel Announces Partnership with Reese Witherspoon

Global home furnishings retailer Crate and Barrel has announced it is working with entrepreneur, Academy Award-winning actress and critically acclaimed producer Reese Witherspoon as the brand’s newest ambassador. The ongoing partnership, which will also incorporate Witherspoon’s own lifestyle and fashion brand Draper James, kicks off today with the launch of Crate and Barrel’s holiday advertising campaign.

As someone who has expressed a longtime love of design and entertaining personally and, most recently, via the creation of Draper James in 2015, Reese Witherspoon was a natural partner for the brand. Both Reese and Crate and Barrel exude timelessness infused with modernity through everything they do and create, resulting in the perfect synergy for a collaboration.

“We are honored to work with Reese, who expresses so many of the best qualities of our brand—style, warmth, and optimism,” said Crate and Barrel President Steve Woodward. “Reese has shown the world she has an eye for design, and we’re thrilled for her to showcase that as an ambassador for the company. Reese truly brings the unique Crate and Barrel experience and spirit to life.”

The holiday campaign, “Make This Season Merry and Just Right,” features Reese entertaining friends and family at home, accompanied by her favorite products from Crate and Barrel. The campaign – created by Crate and Barrel’s Agency of Record Preacher – includes several national TV spots and placements across multiple digital and social platforms that will air through the end of the year.

This holiday season, Crate and Barrel will also highlight select gifts from Draper James, both in stores and online at crateandbarrel.com. As a part of their longer-term relationship, Crate and Barrel and Draper James will release co-designed collections for Spring and Summer 2018 and beyond.

About Crate and Barrel
Crate and Barrel is an industry-leading home furnishings specialty retailer, known for its exclusive designs, timeless style and superb customer service. In addition to a direct marketing division that services more than 90 countries, the company operates stores throughout the U.S. and Canada as well as international franchise locations around the globe. Working directly with European ateliers and factories, Crate and Barrel was among the first to introduce affordable household goods and contemporary home décor to American consumers. Founded in 1962, the brand’s essence has translated perfectly to the omnichannel era 55 years after opening its first store. The Crate and Barrel family of brands, which includes CB2 and The Land of Nod, is owned by Otto Group, a global retail and services group based in Hamburg, Germany. For more information, visit www.crateandbarrel.com.

About Draper James
Draper James is a Southern-inspired lifestyle brand that embodies the personal style and sensibility of its Founder and Creative Director, Reese Witherspoon. Reese named the brand after her grandparents who taught her everything she knows about gracious Southern living. Draper James brings contemporary, yet timeless Southern style to your wardrobe and home, no matter where you live. The direct-to-consumer business launched online in May 2015 followed by its flagship store in Nashville that fall. Draper James also has brick-and-mortar locations in Dallas and Lexington with Atlanta opening fall 2017. Designed in-house, the collection consists of ready-to-wear, accessories, and home accents. For more information, please visit www.draperjames.com or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Snapchat.

(PR News Wire)

Reese Witherspoon Plays the Perfect Holiday Hostess for Crate & Barrel

Reese Witherspoon will not serve you mediocre cranberry sauce or immolate you while garnishing cocktails with flamed orange peels.

She doesn’t roll like that.

The actress-producer takes her holiday entertaining seriously enough to whip up 37 versions of the same side dish and keep a fire extinguisher handy, in case her parlor trick goes awry while practicing. Preparation is everything, after all.

Witherspoon, 41, and her home-and-hearth prowess star in a new Crate & Barrel campaign, launching Tuesday on digital and social media with TV spots following at the end of the month. With the tagline, “Make this season merry and just right,” the ads will run through the holidays and kick off a larger deal between the retailer and the Oscar winner.

Here is the centerpiece 30-second spot:

Crate & Barrel will sell some gifts from Witherspoon’s preppy clothing and lifestyle brand Draper James in its store and online during fourth quarter, and the two will collaborate on new product lines debuting next spring and summer.

Meanwhile, Witherspoon will serve as the chain’s brand ambassador during the key holiday time, when consumers are expected to hike their spending an estimated 6 percent over last year, according to a recent PwC study. Retail sales are predicted to jump by about 4 percent, says the National Retail Federation.

The new ads, from agency Preacher, show Witherspoon as the ultimate hostess throwing the perfect party (fabulously decorated place, delicious meal, trendy bourbon drinks) while giving a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes work it took to get there (test kitchen, fruit fires, snack breaks). In this case, you do want to see how the sausage is made.

CREDITS
Client: Crate and Barrel

Agency: Preacher
Chief Creative Officer: Rob Baird
Chief Executive Officer: Krystle Loyland
Chief Strategy Officer: Seth Gaffney
Executive Producer: Stacey Higgins Guerrero
Producer: Jill Silberstein
CD/CW: Kim Nguyen
CD/AD: Kellyn Blount
Senior Brand Manager: Stephanie Smith
Senior Strategist: Jess Neill
Business Affairs: Miiko Martin

Production Company: Caviar
Director: Marielle Heller
Executive Producer: Kim Dellara
Line Producer: Michele Abbott DP: Brandon Trost
Production Designer: Jonah Markewitz

Edit House: Cut + Run – Austin
Executive Producer: Bebe Baldwin
Producer: Joanna Hall
Editor: Frank Effron
Assistant Editor: Christopher Kasper
Mix: Corey Roberts @ Pony Sound
Music: Sugar & The Hi Lows “Sugar Cookie”
Flame Artist: Nick Smith @ Finland Finish
Colorist: Marshall Plante @ Ntropic

(Ad Week)

Christmas Creep: Crate & Barrel Hurries Holidays With Reese Witherspoon

It may be 80 degrees in New York but the never-ending summer isn’t stopping marketers from moving forward with holiday plans—early as usual. Furniture and home décor brand Crate & Barrel has tapped actress Reese Witherspoon as its first-ever spokesperson, breaking the retailer’s holiday campaign on today. “Make this Season Merry and Just Right” will run digitally and on social media beginning Tuesday, more than two weeks earlier than Crate & Barrel’s 2016 holiday effort. TV spots in 30-and 15-second versions will air nationally Oct. 29.

Suzy Cirulis, VP of marketing for Chicago-based Crate & Barrel, noted that the earlier push gives the brand more opportunity to maximize the content it created with agency-of-record Preacher, a relationship that began last year.

Crate & Barrel, which is owned by Hamberg, Germany-based Otto Group, spent $3.6 million on measured media in the U.S. during the holiday period of November and December last year, nearly double that of 2015, according to Kantar Media. Earlier this year, the brand appointed Neela Montgomery, who had served as executive board member for multi-channel retail at Otto Group, as its chief executive.

Crate & Barrel isn’t likely to be the only one moving up holiday plans compared with last year. In 2016, the majority of retailers waited until after the Nov. 8 presidential election, which dominated airwaves, to begin airing spots. This year, when the National Retail Federation is expecting holiday sales to rise between 3.6 percent and 4 percent over last year, there is no similar attention-sucking event.

As part of the new collaboration with Witherspoon, 55-year-old Crate & Barrel will begin selling co-designed products from her lifestyle brand Draper James next year. During the holidays, the retailer will highlight certain Draper James items in its gift guides.

“Reese has built a brand that truly resonates with customers, with products designed to celebrate her Southern heritage,” says Cirulis via email, explaining that the partnership should help Crate & Barrel reach a new audience.

In a 30-second spot, Witherspoon is the hostess with the mostess, juggling flaming cocktails with popcorn ornaments and taste-testing 37 varieties of cranberry sauce before settling on the best recipe for a holiday gathering.

Witherspoon recently appeared in the popular HBO miniseries “Big Little Lies” and will star in next years “A Wrinkle in Time” film.

(Ad Age)

Reese Witherspoon Opens Up About ‘Big Little Lies’ and Her New Lifestyle Collaboration with Crate and Barrel

Reese Witherspoon will be hosting your next dinner party. Well, sort of. On top of her incredible acting career, Witherspoon also owns lifestyle and fashion brand Draper James, and now she’s collaborating with Crate and Barrel to add a new title to her resume: brand ambassador. What that means for you? Awesome items made for entertaining.

Amid all the talk of whether or not Big Little Lies will return for a second season, MarieClaire.com caught up with Witherspoon at the unveiling of her Crate and Barrel partnership to discuss the collaboration, her favorite way to entertain, and how she feels about those eight (!) *huge* BLL Emmy wins.

The partnership with Crate and Barrel was kind of a no-brainer.

“I started Draper James because growing up in the South we love to entertain, we love parties, and we love having family and friends over. So when I created the brand I wanted to talk about entertaining and lifestyle. And then there was this natural collaboration with Crate and Barrel that’s been doing such an incredible quality of work for so long. We’re bringing southern charm to their timeless sensibility. We’re just a perfect match.”

She’s *incredibly* close to her Big Little Lies co-stars.

“I’ve talked to Nicole almost everyday for the past 12 days. We just have so much to talk about and we’re producing some other projects together. She’s also really close to me—she lives in Nashville. I actually talk to Laura Dern and Zoë Kravitz almost everyday [laughs]. I would talk to Shailene, but she’s in Fiji for the time being so that makes it a little hard. We’re all really close.”

She loves to entertain—and will definitely be hosting her friends around Christmastime. 🎄

“I have a Christmas party every year so then I’ll get to show [my co-stars] all the great stuff I’ve been working on. I love to have lots of different sizes and shapes of cake plates in my house. Crate and Barrel has some great ones in marble.”

Winning eight Emmys was completely surreal to her.

“It was great to have so much of the team recognized for their incredible hard work. It’s sort of surreal. I kept looking at Nicole and crying, ‘I can’t believe this is happening.’ It really speaks to the fact that when women collaborate together they can really accomplish a lot. I believe wholeheartedly in female partnership. Just the idea of collaborating with other very hardworking women and trying to create opportunities for other women in our business is very fulfilling to me.”

The response she received from the audience proves the need to create better roles for women.

“I actually have to say it was one of those jobs where you couldn’t believe that we actually got to work together. We had so much fun. And then we had this incredible response from the audience so it really made me feel like there’s a huge audience out there that isn’t seeing what they want to see about women. They want to know more about women’s lives.”

She’s *definitely* going to save pieces from the collaboration for her daughter Ava when she makes her way to college next fall.

“Oh yeah. How great would it be to have a dorm room decorated with Crate and Barrel pieces? That would be amazing.”

You can purchase select Draper James pieces at Crate and Barrel both in-store and online. Draper James will release co-designed collections available spring and summer 2018.

(Marie Claire)

Reese Witherspoon—Crate and Barrel’s Newest Brand Ambassador—Talks to Us About All Things Home Decor

Reese Witherspoon’s Instagram feed is a mecca for those looking for entertaining and hosting inspiration. The actress not only posts pictures of herself with her Big Little Lies costars and her doppleganger daughter, but also shares a plethora of tips on throwing a good party, setting colorful tablescapes, and organizing her kitchen. “I grew up a Southern woman. We’d have people over every Sunday night, whether it was family dinner or having a party. We just love holidays and entertaining,” says Witherspoon. Her love of all things home led the founder of Draper James, her three-year-old Southern clothing company, to venture into the home space. Now, Witherspoon is working with Crate and Barrel as the brand’s newest ambassador in an ongoing partnership that will incorporate Draper James. It will kick off with the launch of Crate and Barrel’s holiday advertising campaign, “Make This Season Merry and Just Right.” In spring and summer 2018, Crate and Barrel and Draper James will release codesigned collections. On the heels of her latest collaboration, Witherspoon sat down with AD to discuss everything from holidays to hosting, with a few tips that will definitely come in handy.

Architectural Digest: What are some must-have items you really love for at home and entertaining?
Reese Witherspoon: I love china. I love barware. I love high-low. I think it’s really great to have your beautiful, classic china that came from your grandmother—that’s what mine is—but mixing it with modern glassware, or infusing it with new things. It just turns everything around. It makes it a little more contemporary.

AD: You also offer up a lot of organization tips on your Instagram. What are some organization tips you can’t live without or items you think are key for organization?

RW: I think if you invest in a few key pieces that organize everyday items—like your fruit bowl—it is so important. And I love my cake plates; they organize the muffins, they make everything look better, and they keep them fresh longer. I have a whole collection of cake plates. They present beautifully but they’re all very practical.

AD: Besides cake plates, do you have favorite items from Crate and Barrel?

RW: I also love their barware. It’s really festive. It’s easy to create a cohesive look. I love a great bar! It’s so fun! I have one in my office, my production office, Type A Films. The opportunity to celebrate something is always there. I feel like it gives people the idea that at any moment a celebration can happen. And I always have pink champagne there and beautiful champagne glasses. You never know, people! I like champagne glasses for champagne. I make this yummy champagne cocktail that my grandma and my mom made with ginger ale and orange wedges and things like that. That’s my go-to cocktail.

AD: Have you hosted any recent soirees with anyone fun that you can think of?

RW: I have a Christmas party every year that I’ve had for… I don’t know, seven years? Maybe longer? Maybe ten years? And it’s kind of known around town in Los Angeles, and I hire this guy and he plays piano and we sing Christmas carols and everyone comes, and people look forward to it. One year I had to cancel it because I was moving and I literally got so many emails going: ‘Ahhh! Have I been uninvited from the Christmas party?!’ And I was like ‘NO! I moved! I took a year off from the Christmas party!’ Sometimes you need a year off from a party. This year it’s going to be in full swing and I’m excited to showcase all these Crate and Barrel–themed things, and they do such a beautiful job. It’s so classic and gorgeous.

AD: Are you going to change up anything different about the party this year?

RW: I like the idea of always having it the same. I always have the same food: honey-baked ham, my grandmother’s biscuits. It’s a very simple setup. I love beautiful cheese plates, and things all around the party so people find different areas to mingle; and the center of the party is the Christmas carols.

AD: You get so many people commenting on your Instagram asking where you get different items and how to achieve different decor looks. Has that inspired you to further enter the decor realm in any way?

RW: I love Instagram for design tips. I follow a lot of designers and I think it’s a great way to feel inspired. I love tablescapes, and the way you can see how people put things together is really fun for me. It’s just sort of a passion of mine, and I love to communicate with people and share ideas. I find artists through Instagram who I direct-message and I say, “Hey, I love your work. Can I buy a piece for my office?” This girl Katherine Jones out of Alabama, she does beautiful work. I commissioned a piece for my office. It’s just great to get to know people I never would have met if it weren’t for social media.

(Architectural Digest)