The heist movie, as a genre, depends on the pleasure of watching people get away with something. Primark, the Irish discount retailer, is now betting that American shoppers will find the same satisfaction in its summer dresses.

On Tuesday, the company is introducing its first global advertising campaign, a coordinated effort spanning the United States, Britain and Spain that represents the most ambitious marketing push in its history. The campaign, created by VCCP and directed by Tom Green through Stink Films, follows three friends slipping into exclusive settings while wearing Primark outfits — the conceit being that looking this put-together at these prices feels vaguely illicit.

"It's the first time we're investing from a media and marketing standpoint to talk to more customers about the brand all at once," said Wendy Duggan, the company's marketing director.

The timing is not coincidental. Earlier this month, Primark opened a flagship store in Herald Square, the Manhattan shopping district that has served as a proving ground for mass-market retailers since R. H. Macy set up shop there in 1902. The opening was accompanied by the sort of promotional saturation that New Yorkers have learned to expect from brands seeking their attention: blue-dyed bagels, branded taxicabs, tote bags and an appearance by Sarah Jessica Parker, who wore head-to-toe Primark and brought along Andy Cohen and the fashion editor Derek Blasberg. (The store opening was strategically scheduled for Met Gala week, which is either savvy positioning or a very expensive coincidence.)

Primark, which is owned by the British conglomerate Associated British Foods, has operated in the United States since 2015 and now has 40 stores here. But brand awareness remains stubbornly lower than in Europe, where the chain is as familiar as Boots or Tesco.

"The challenges are the scope and scale of the U.S.," said Rene Federico, the company's head of American marketing. "There's so much coming at consumers right now."

Unlike most of its competitors, Primark does not offer home delivery, which means the entire business depends on persuading people to visit physical stores — what Ms. Duggan, in Britain, calls "retail theater."

Whether American shoppers will find the theater compelling enough to make the trip remains, for now, an open question. But Primark appears to have decided that if you're going to ask people to leave their apartments, you might as well give them a heist film to think about on the way.

Original story published in Adweek: "Primark Takes Its Boldest Shot Yet at Winning Over American Shoppers"