(Santa) Hats off to Asda this Christmas

British supermarket Asda is launching its first ever Christmas brand advertising campaign during this Sunday’s (4th November 2012) X factor to capture the hearts, minds and sense of humour ofmums in the run up to the big day.

 

The ad, developed with Saatchi & Saatchi, aims to tell the real story of Christmas through mums’ eyes rather than the perfect, idealistic and unattainable Christmas’ often portrayed. Everything in the ad is based on real people’s, real Christmas experiences. The ad recognises that mum’s job is hard but one that she loves, and it gives the viewer a sense that although this is a busy time she wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

The 60-second TV spots show a mum experiencing thetrials and tribulations that go into making a magical Christmas, from struggling to get the (too big) Christmas tree into the car and scribbling her way through the Christmas card pile, to untangling the massive knot of Christmas tree lights and debating the best, (and quietest), toys for the kids.

 

The ad is shot to a cover of the Christmas carol, Silent Night, which is sped up to reflect the excitement of Christmas for mums. As the ad nears the end, the music begins to slow down, culminating to a reveal of a typically British Christmas day scene in which the whole family is seen enjoying the day and relaxing in front of the TV - the pinnacle of mum’s work.

 

View the spot below:

 

 

The ad will launch on Facebook at the same time as the TV campaign (www.facebook.com/asda) and an extended 90 second version will be available in the coming weeks and will highlight all of the products used throughout the ad.

 

Kate Stanners, executive creative partner, Saatchi & Saatchi said: "The ad is an acknowledgement of all the work that  Mums have to put into Christmas. How they always put everything and everyone before themselves, expecting nothing back other than a contented silence on Christmas afternoon".

 

Stephen Smith, chief marketing officer, Asda said: 
“We have spoken to thousands of Asda mums about what Christmas means to them. They told us that Christmas doesn’t just happen by magic. A lot rests on their shoulders; with people to feed, gifts to buy, and families to keep happy, it can be a very busy time but the experiences they have along the way are priceless. Despite the pressure, their big reward is looking back at the end of Christmas day, at a happy and smiling family, and thinking “I did that”.

 

“Nothing made it into the ad, unless it was real insight from real experiences. In research mums said they drew all sorts of inspiration from past family traditions to helpthem create new, magical memories for their children.”

 

Stephen Smith continues:“We wanted to create an ad that mums could really relate to, something that wasfamiliar and fun. The whole campaign hopefully shows mums up and down the country that we understand they are the ones that put the magic into Christmas and that we are their helping hand, providing solutions for them at an incredibly important family time.”

 

Recent Mumdex research found that almost half of mums were planning for the cost of Christmas as early as July. In addition to the added cost of Christmas, shoppers still worry about how they will manage their household budgets week in, week out in the lead up to the festive season. Asda is once again offering a Christmas ‘bonus’ through the Asda Price Guarantee £5 off £40 voucher as well as the ongoing commitment to be 10 per cent cheaper. Asda is also offering low prices on staples like milk, bread and eggs.

 

The TV brand ad, shot by Ric Cantor of Outsider, is the centrepiece of a bigger integrated three-month Christmas campaign whichshows the different ways Asda can help mum this Christmas. The media was planned and bought by Carat.

 

The campaign includes tactical ads that show mum how to maximise the budget to fill the cupboardswith Christmas goodies and Click & Collect spots.  Asda’s long term strategic partnership with Leiths School of Food and Wine continues with ads showing a range of Extra Special festive foods created with the cookery school, so mums don't have to do everything from scratch.

 

Ads will also show a great range of gifts, with many items on sale for less than £10 or less. This includes clothes from George, DVDs, CDs and games as well as the most popular toys, all of which can be bought online and delivered to customers at home or at their local store.

 

Credits

 

TITLE: Christmas Brand Film 

CLIENT: Jamie Sohosky (Head of Marketing Strategy and Advertising), Amy Hinsley (Head of Broadcast Advertising)

ADVERTISING AGENCY: Saatchi & Saatchi

EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Kate Stanners, Paul Silburn

COPYWRITER: Suzanne Hails, Paul Ewen        

ART DIRECTOR: Phil Clarke

PLANNER: Henry Gray

ACCOUNT HANDLER: Laetitia Rennie (Client Partner), Sheridan Snellgrove (Account Director)

PRODUCER: Marie Hughes

MEDIA BUYING AGENCY: Carat

MEDIA PLANNER: Helen Pate

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Outsider

DIRECTOR: Ric Cantor

EDITOR: Neil Smith at Work Editors

PRODUCER: Paul McPadden

POST-PRODUCTION COMPANY: Golden Square

AUDIO POST-PRODUCTION COMPANY: Wave