Dollar Tree's First National Campaign Takes Place High Up in the Branches

Perhaps the most on-the-nose concept of the year

A ginormous, fantastical tree serves as the setting for Dollar Tree’s first spots from Tombras. Gee, wonder where they got that idea?

Huge leafy branches—big enough to accommodate shopping carts—become aisles filled with products in a pair of adverts directed by Anonymous Content’s Autumn de Wilde.

There’s a retro-Saturday-morning kids’ TV vibe at play, like something out of Sid and Mart Krofft. Dollar Tree’s a discount chain, after all. Slick, state-of-the-art F/X would’ve ruined it. Instead, the visuals are satisfyingly self-conscious and goofy enough to charm.

The work doesn’t look like everything else cramming our feeds. That’s it’s greatest strength. You don’t agree? Tell it to the tree.

As for the business strategy, “Our customers come to us for everyday essentials, but they also love the excitement of discovering something unexpected,” says CMO Brian Messerschmitt. “With ‘It’s All In The Tree,’ we’re bringing that feeling to life in a bigger, bolder way.”

“We’re inviting more people to see Dollar Tree as a destination for everything they need, and everything they didn’t know they wanted.”

Next, the tree gets spooky for Halloween:

“If you’re a Dollar Tree person, you already know the thrill of going,” says Tombras CCO Paul Caiozzo. “You walk in looking for one thing, and leave with six things you didn’t know you needed. Dollar Tree is practical, fun, quirky and economical, all at once.”

“It really is all in the tree. And once we realized that, bringing this weird, wonderful, beautiful tree to life felt almost painfully obvious.”

The initiative drops today across TV, online video and social platforms.

Related: e.l.f.’s ‘Magical Sisters,’ Bill Murray’s ‘Ghostbusters’ Riff and More Halloween Highlights

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David Gianatasio