Waitrose, Tesco, Sky, Liberty, Aldi: Winter wonderland

Yes, you guessed it, we are back on the festive advertising trail and it seems there is no stopping them now…

First up is Waitrose, which is channelling the festive schmaltz of Love Actually for a four-minute romcom titled “The Perfect Gift”, starring Keira Knightley and Joe Wilkinson.

The first Christmas ad created by Wonderhood Studios – which has replaced Saatchi & Saatchi – is directed by Molly Manners. The narrative follows the development of a love story between the characters, beginning with an encounter at a Waitrose cheese counter as they share a love for Sussex Charmer Mature Cheddar and concluding with Wilkinson’s character recreating Knightley’s Nan’s turkey pie recipe.

Backed by She’s A Star by James, the full film has been released online, with cut down versions planned for TV broadcast.

Waitrose chief customer officer Nathan Ansell said: “When it comes to Christmas, delicious food and drink play a central role in bringing people together and helping us show affection. This year, we welcomed British heroine, Keira Knightley, and Waitrose’ favourite, Joe Wilkinson, to help us show Food Lovers how to ‘say it with food’.”

Tesco, meanwhile, moving away from such flawless celebrations to embrace the genuine, often chaotic, and imperfect moments that define a British Christmas.

“That’s What Makes It Christmas” has been devised by BBH London and breaks from the traditional single TV spot, to run a series of short ads depicting various unscripted festive scenarios. The central theme champions authenticity, suggesting that the magic of the season lies within its imperfections.

The campaign launched across Tesco’s social media platforms and through a direct email to Clubcard members, with TV spots scheduled to air later this week. It follows two teaser ads featuring a young man wrapping a gift and three dogs in festive jumpers, which hinted that “Something is coming”.

Across the plan, and with media led by EssenceMediacom, partnerships have been formed, including one with Channel 4’s Gogglebox, where participants will discuss the ads, and talk about their own unique ‘That’s What Makes it Christmas’ moments.

Tesco UK marketing director Murray Bisschop said the inspiration for the campaign came from realising that customers find real joy and warmth in the imperfect moments of the holiday. He added: “In all honesty, sometimes you see an idea and you just know it’s going to work. So it was a pretty easy sell with our product teams.”

Over at Sky, its campaign focuses on the “timeless joy” and connective power of festive films. “Believe in the Magic of Movies” has been devised by in-house agency Sky Creative, in partnership with Rapport. The media is being handled by Publicis Next.

It follows a young girl whose imagination is captured by scenes from a selection of Sky’s festive movie line-up, including Elf, The Holiday, and a glimpse of Wicked. Inspired by what she sees on screen, she gains the courage to extend a special invitation to a friend to join her at the cinema.

The campaign highlights Sky’s continued partnership with Vue Cinemas, reinforcing the theme of shared experiences by offering customers two complimentary cinema tickets.

Sky Sports and Movies marketing director Steff Bryant commented: “Festive films are fundamental to the joy of the season, and how better to celebrate that than with memorable movie moments? These adverts and campaign capture that beloved magic and spotlight Sky’s unique partnership with Vue cinemas, bringing more joy to our customers this Christmas.”

Next up Liberty London‘s “The Making of Christmas” focuses on celebrating creativity, craftsmanship, and imagination and marks the department store’s 150th anniversary year.

Instead of a traditional TV ad, the campaign is an immersive experience drawing inspiration from the “chaotic yet joyful workspace” of Christmas elves. The famous central atrium of the store has been transformed into a spectacular festive ship, titled ‘1874: The Good Ship Liberty,’ inspired by the building’s weather vane.

Designed in-house to capture the authentic spirit of creativity that defines Liberty, the store’s windows have been designed as “workshops”, offering a glimpse into the elves’ creative process as they craft gifts.

Liberty managing director Sarah Coonan said: “Christmas at Liberty has always been about more than decorations and gifting – it’s about imagination and craft. The Making of Christmas celebrates the extraordinary creativity that happens behind the scenes, from our in-house design team to the artisans and brands we champion.

“As we close our 150th anniversary year, this campaign is a love letter to making – to the joy, the beauty, and the enduring magic that defines Liberty. It’s a reminder that the most meaningful gifts are the ones made with care.”

And, finally to Aldi, which perhaps unsurprisingly is continuing to plough ahead with Kevin the Carrot, in a series of ads that began with a teaser inspired by, yes, you guessed it, Love Actually, showing Kevin proposing to Katie the Carrot.

Devised by McCann Manchester, the latest episode, 50-second festive spot, shows Kevin on his stag do, stranded at the North Pole wearing just a mankini, while Katie enjoys a calm spa break unaware of the unfolding chaos.

Running across TV and socials, the storyline sees the stag party lose Kevin entirely, prompting best man Kelvin to retrace their steps and admit the situation has gone “pear-shaped”.

Aldi UK chief commercial officer Julie Ashfield said: “We’re thrilled to unveil the next chapter in Kevin and Katie’s festive love story”, describing the campaign as “packed with pure Christmas cheer, a dash of cheekiness, and all the heart our fans have come to expect”.

The third and final episode will conclude the storyline as Aldi teases whether the wedding will go ahead. What do you reckon?