Brief:

• Walgreens is running a social influencer campaign with actor Neil Patrick Harris and his husband, chef David Burtka, to show how the drugstore chain can help shoppers with stressful moments during the holidays, per information shared with Mobile Marketer. The campaign includes a video series on Facebook and Instagram to highlight the convenience of shopping at Walgreens, with each segment ending with the tagline, "Get in. Get out. Get jolly."
• The digital campaign will run through Christmas and will include videos, photos and personal tips on the social media channels for Walgreens, Harris and Burtka. Walgreens posted a Q&A to its blog that discusses how the celebrity couple plans for the holidays with their kids, including advice on how to shop at the store chain.
• The digital series is part of the broader Walgreens #TrueHolidayStory campaign that consists of TV, radio and digital spots.

Insight:

Walgreens aims to cut through the ad clutter and reach a younger demographic with its social influencer campaign featuring celebrity couple Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka. The digital video series includes humorous vignettes — typically with Harris making gaffes as the couple tackles the extra work of putting up holiday decorations and wrapping gifts, among other tasks — that urge viral sharing on Facebook and Instagram. Harris has 8.2 million followers on Instagram, while Burkta has 495,000, helping to extend the organic reach of the campaign.

Harris has been a reliable corporate pitchman and social influencer, with campaigns such as one for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups during Halloween. Harris asked his social media followers to help him build a haunted house that was featured in a livestreamed event that urged viewer participation. Previously, Harris worked with J.M. Smucker peanut butter brand Jif on a Facebook Live video.

The Walgreens campaign comes as consumers are forecast to boost their holiday spending 3.8% to 4.2% in November and December to about $727.9 billion to $730.7 billion, per the National Retail Federation. Its survey found that 15% of consumers will turn to Facebook and 11% will look at Instagram for holiday shopping ideas. Those percentages are higher for younger consumers, with 23% of people ages 18 to 34 saying they'll seek holiday inspiration from Facebook. Twenty-six percent of consumers ages 18 to 24 and 20% of people ages 25 to 34 will use Instagram for gift ideas, per the NRF.

Those trends bode well for Walgreens' influencer campaign on the social media platforms. Spending on such influencer campaigns is forecast to grow to $15 billion by 2022, according to Business Insider, as brands collaborate with social media personalities who attract a large online following.