Etailer Notonthehighstreet.com has enjoyed steady but relatively quiet success over the past few years, and its new advert suggests it is ready to attract a little more attention.

The etailer’s campaign communicates a sense of warmth and charm

While its customer base is loyal, it hasn’t enjoyed the wider brand awareness of other fast-growth etailers such as Asos. It seems to be on a drive to change this – its first TV advert, for Valentine’s Day, aired in the north of England earlier this year, and now it has launched a Mother’s Day advert which is airing in London on Channel 4 and Channel 5 until March 16.

The advert depicts a mother and daughter at home, following the daughter in different scenarios and highlighting gift ideas as she goes. The etailer wants to communicate a sense of warmth and charm, and aims to particularly emphasise its array of personalised gifts.

For a site such as Notonthehighstreet.com, which relies on quirky, cute products to help it stand out from competitors, the risk is that the advert ends up twee. But the etailer avoids this and achieves charm, while avoiding being saccharine.

While craft sites Etsy and Folksy impinge on its market, these sites are more a collection of independent sellers. Notonthehighstreet.com is a unique proposition in the UK etail market. Its publicity drive should help boost its profile and perhaps bring it closer to its better-known counterparts.

Not on the High Street