Sainsbury's Eschews Animated Blockbusters for a Karaoke-Style Christmas Song
We Are From LA Direct Spots Featuring Cast of 200
Editor's Pick
This year's Christmas campaign from Sainsbury's swings away from the blockbuster style and animated cuteness of its last couple of years, as the U.K. supermarket takes a different approach from most of its rival retailers and opts for a catchy original song about Christmas, featuring real customers and employees.
The ad, by Wieden + Kennedy London, continues its "Living Well" campaign with its distinctive black- and-white film dotted with splashes of color-- in this case, both the Sainsbury's orange logo and a bright green Brussels sprout which bounces along the tops of the lyrics, karaoke style.
The song "Every Bit of Christmas" was composed by musician and comedian Ben Smith, aka "Doc Brown." A collection of street-cast real people, as well as Sainsbury's employees, sent in audition tapes to be cast as the ad's singers and stars. There's also a rapping child, a singing dog and a couple of celebrities (Kermit the frog and actor Ricky Tomlinson from "The Royle Family"). The campaign was shot on location in London, Cardiff, Manchester and Glasgow with a cast of 200. Despite the distinctly British feel, it was directed by We Are From L.A, the French duo behind Pharrell Williams' "Happy" music video, via Iconoclast.
A karaoke version will be available for people to sing themselves, while 25 different versions of the ad will air over the holiday period. Unlike rivals such as Marks & Spencer, Aldi and John Lewis, the Sainsbury's ad will have no themed merchandise tie-in. According to Laura Boothby, head of broadcast communication, while these have worked well for the brand in the past, this year Sainsbury's wanted to concentrate on food, "as that's what we sell most of at Christmas."
Boothby says the retailer has opted to stick with its black-and-white "Living Well" campaign for Christmas rther than go for a "Christmas special" as its research so far suggests the campaign "cuts through" and is distinctive, with customers responding well to its diversity and behaviour they could recognize, like texting the family to find out what's for dinner.
Recent Christmas ads, by its previous agency AMV BBDO, featured children's book character Mog and last year, an original animation with a song sung by James Corden. In 2014, the retailer won plaudits for its recreation of the Christmas truce between soldiers in the First World War. W+K took over the account last January.
Credits
- Date
- Nov 12, 2017
- Brand :
- Barnardo's
- Client :
- Barnardo's
- Creative Director :
- Sophie Bodoh
- Creative Director :
- Scott Dungate
- Creative :
- Mico Toledo
- Creative :
- Juan Sevilla
- Executive Creative Director :
- Tony Davidson
- Executive Creative Director :
- Iain Tait
- Group Account Director :
- Aaron Cole
- Account Director :
- Frankie Purvis
- Account Manager :
- Lauren Ivory
- Planning Director :
- Tom Lloyd
- Creative Planner :
- Nick Exford
- TV Producer :
- Matthew Ellingham
- TV Producer :
- Matthew Ellingham
- TV Producer :
- Tom Dean
- Project Director :
- Mark DAbreo
- Creative Producer :
- Emily Khoury
- Creative Producer :
- Rashel Tashchian
- Production Assistant :
- Aran Patterson
- Design Director :
- Karen Jane
- Designer :
- Adam Hunt
- Designer :
- Phil Rosieur
- Designer :
- Steph McArdle
- Motion/Animation :
- Jon Harris
- Studio Artworker :
- Jhy Turley
- Production Company :
- Iconoclast
- Director :
- We Are From LA
- Executive Producer :
- Carine Harris
- Line Producer :
- Tom Knight
- Director, Photography :
- Jackson Hunt
- Editorial Company :
- Trim
- Editor :
- Thomas Grove Carter
- Visual Effects Company :
- Time Based Arts
- Visual Effects Executive Producer :
- Tom Johnson
- Grade :
- Simone Grattarola
- Lead Flame Artist :
- Mike Aveling
- Flame Artist :
- Alastair Ford
- Flame Artist :
- Jamie Crofts
- Animation Lead :
- Jess Gorick
- Animation :
- Alex Dobbin
- Animation :
- Dave Baum
- Food Directing :
- Dan Lowe
- Food Directing :
- Jess Gorick
- Music Company :
- Leland Music
- Songwriter :
- Mikis Michaelides
- Songwriter :
- Ben "Doc Brown" Smith
- Mix Company :
- Factory Studios
- Mix and Sound Design :
- Anthony Moore
- Food Photographer :
- David Sykes
- Food Stylist :
- Katie Giovanni
- Portrait Photographer :
- Charlie Campbell
- Casting :
- Stark Casting
- Post Production :
- Stanleys Post
- Agency :
- Wieden & Kennedy-London
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