Celebrating spontaneity, seasonal flavours, and sun-soaked gatherings, Wonderhood Studios' campaign blends dreamy visuals with relatable food moments to showcase Waitrose’s summer range across digital, print, and OOH

Waitrose has partnered with independent creative agency Wonderhood Studios to create a Summer campaign that stands out from the usual seasonal fare. The work follows Wonderhood Studio’s social division Wonderhood Makers’ successful Christmas and Easter social media campaigns for the retailer.

The campaign 'Let your summer side out' is centred on the insight that during the summer, flexible mealtimes, impromptu get togethers and a more relaxed schedule changes the way we eat in the UK. Seasonal produce is also explored as people are encouraged to let spontaneity lead their food lives, with images which hero the feeling of summer fun and make the best of the Waitrose summer product range and seasonal fresh produce.

James Rafter and Myles Vincent, creative directors at Wonderhood Studios, have created a selection of relatable summer food moments brought to life by photographer Lizzie Mayson.

Sumptuous, sun-drenched images show tasty summer meals and seasonal dishes from the Waitrose summer range with phrases designed to inspire customers such as ‘Weekend BBQs start at 9am’ and ‘You were never going to 'just bring crisps.'’ These moments reflect the delicious flexibility of summer living, socialising and eating, drawn from insights from the retailer’s food-loving audience.

Nathan Ansell, chief customer officer, Waitrose said, “Summer is for letting your hair down and enjoying the spontaneous side of food, which is why we’ve developed a campaign and range of products designed to inspire and enable our customers to do just that. From sparking ideas for interesting flavour combinations to providing quality ingredients to make impromptu summer get-togethers full of delicacies to explore and remember, Waitrose is the perfect partner for food discovery this summer.”

Jack Croft and Stacey Bird, executive creative directors at Wonderhood Studios added, “We’ve really let our summer side out on this project with Waitrose. Dreamy, blended food photography paired together with summer food lover-y insights capture the spirit of the season.”

The campaign will run from June 4th and throughout the summer across the UK via targeted, data driven contextual messaging across radio, print, digital and social supporting impactful large format out of home. Media planning and buying was handled by MG OMD.

Gerry Ridgway, executive director at MG OMD said, “We worked closely with Waitrose to showcase their delicious new summer range. We delivered a media approach to drive action and hero these products in an impactful way to ensure Waitrose will stand out and fully embody ‘Letting your summer side out’".