On the third day of Christmas ads these retailers gave to us…yes, you guessed it, we are barely into November and another round of festive TV spots is hitting the UK, vying to bring seasonal joy and a seasonal boost to the tills.
First up is Sainsbury’s “The Big Fella’s Christmas Dinner” by New Commercial Arts, which opens in a store as customers are shopping for their festive essentials when a young girl pipes up: “Hey Sainsbury’s, what does Santa eat for his Christmas dinner?”
Despite initial gasps, her question sparks a flurry of responses from Sainsbury’s staff, with each of them offering their suggestions of festive dishes, showstoppers and treats. As the colleagues share their recommendations, items appear on Santa’s Christmas dinner table – much to his delight.
Back in the store, Rick Astley appears out of nowhere and chips in: “How about some cheese?” Quickly two Sainsbury’s colleagues tell him what they think, with one responding, “C’mon Rick, cheese before pudding, you know the rules” and the other singing “and so do I” from his biggest hit Never Going to Give You Up.
Rick gives out a wry smile but is never seen again as the focus then turns to desserts…
Sainsbury’s head of campaigns Emma Bisley said:“We wanted to create an advert that champions our colleagues all over the country, as well as highlighting the innovation of this year’s Taste the Different range. From brand-new festive treats to offers on household Christmas favourites, Sainsbury’s has something for everyone’s table – whatever the budget or tastebuds.
Next up is Boots and “Thank you, Santa”, developed in partnership with its ad agency The Pharm and the WPP partnership team.
Centred around a festive film designed to remind viewers that there is a present for everyone at Boots, it tells the story of a young girl and her mum making a journey to the North Pole to show Santa how much they appreciate him by giving him a gift.
Armed with a Boots shopping bag filled with gifts, the pair embark on an epic journey, from the local high street to the snow-capped landscapes of the North Pole. On their travels, kind strangers help them on their way, and, in return for their generosity, the girl gifts a special item from Boots to show their appreciation.
From a Dyson Airwrap for the pilot, to a Benefit Volumizing Mascara for the train conductor, by the time they reach Santa, they have just the one gift left…..a pair of Boots Travel Flight Socks, perfect for the big journey ahead of him.
Boots used System One, a platform that measures emotional responses to ads and predicts how customers will react, at each stage of its development, from early scripts and storyboards right through to the finished film. The results were very strong, falling within the top 5% of all ads tested.
Retailer TK Maxx’s “Festive Farm” ad is also up and running, celebrating the glitz and glamour of Christmas with CGI farm animals rocking the festive catwalk in its 2023 festive campaign.
Positioning itself as the home of ‘big gifts’ at ‘small prices’, it has been devised by Wieden + Kennedy London and is set to Eve and Gwen Stefani’s 2001 hit Let Me Blow Ya Mind. The 40-second spot is a vignette of rural farm life at Christmas time, with a sprinkling of high fashion.
TK Maxx group director Deborah Dolce said: “Our festive campaign celebrates everything our customers love about TK Maxx at Christmas. We know people want to show friends and family they care with beautiful, quality gifts, but we also know most of us are still watching our finances carefully.”
Never one to be outdone, Lidl appears to have come over all John Lewis for its TV campaign “A Magical Christmas”, which tells the story of a raccoon who goes above and beyond to make one little boy’s day extra special.
It begins with the curious procyonid looking through a window to see a family decorating a Christmas tree – all rather strange considering the animals only live in North America, where Lidl has no shops. Still, after the dog accidentally smashes the little boy’s favourite monkey Christmas decoration his mother picks up a cuddly toy while doing the weekly shop at Lidl, but clumsily drops it on the way home.
The raccoon then picks up the toy monkey and crosses the city by any means possible – climbing road signs, riding the tube, and sailing on a log across a river – to reach the family home and put the toy under the Christmas tree.
Finally, Morrisons has unveiled its TV spot for 2023, devised by Leo Burnett and featuring a group of theatrical kitchen oven gloves which sing their support for those cooking Christmas dinner to a rendition of American rock band Starship’s power ballad Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now.
The patterned mitts are seen bursting out of cupboards, sitting on worktops and appearing from under tables, as family members prepare all the necessities of a roast including vegetables, crispy roast potatoes and classic pigs in blankets.
Morrisons chief customer and marketing officer Rachel Eyre said: “This Christmas – and every Christmas – great British food should be the star of the show and so our ad showcases Morrisons brilliant Christmas range.
“But there’s always a lot to do when preparing the big Christmas meal and some classic 1980s power ballad encouragement is clearly in order. Nothing’s gonna stop us making this Christmas the best for our customers.”
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