In Tesco Ireland's seasonal campaign, a series of real people read out genuine letters of thanks to the people that host them at Christmas time.

The ads, by agency Rothco, are directed by documentary maker Ken Wardrop of Antidote and will feature people from all over the country thanking their hosts through the form of a letter. A total of 35 ads have been shot, each one featuring a different individual reading out the letter they've written to their host. In many cases, the hosts in question -- who Tesco sees as the "unsung heroes" of Christmastime -- will have no idea that their loved ones have been involved until the ads air on TV.

The campaign begins with a special launch edit (seen here) to introduce the idea; from that point, two to three new letters will be released on TV each week. The series will showcase a whole spectrum of emotions, from moving to mischievous, with people of all ages -- from an adult daughter thanking her mom to little kids thanking their grandparents -- touching on why their hosts mean so much to them. The ones we've seen so far strike a heartwarming note without being too sentimental (and celebrating those who do all the catering at Christmas seems to tie in well with Tesco's long-running "Every Little Helps" tagline.)

Wardrop led the shoot, with neither the client nor the agency present and the team at Antidote hired a specialized research team to source the letters. Nearly 600 were collected before being whittled down to the final 35, for the campaign. The campaign will also include social media and an interactive digital billboard in Dublin's city center, while hosts will even get a special mention as they're doing their Christmas shopping, with select Tesco stores handing over their loudspeakers for guests to spontaneously thank their hosts.