Sainsbury’s BIG Christmas

Welcome to the AdMiration newsletter! Each week we analyze new and noteworthy ads to give you our 3-2-1 snapshot of the ad (3 facts, 2 learnings and 1 reflection).

This week’s ad: “Sainsbury’s BIG Christmas”???

Inspired by Roald Dahl’s timeless story, Sainsbury’s new Christmas ad features a real-life Sainsbury’s colleague (Sophie) alongside the lovable character the BFG, who embark on a journey that showcases the delicious Taste the Difference and Sainsbury’s food offerings.?

The ad opens with a familiar giant character with big ears, the Big Friendly Giant (BFG), working inside a cave lined with rows of magical, glowing jars. He turns to the camera and says, “Hey Sainsbury’s, how can we make this Christmas a bit more…fizz-whizzing?”?

After meeting Sainsbury’s employee Sophie, the two set off to bring holiday joy. We see BFG jogging through neighborhoods, holding a bag with Sophie inside, who shouts, “We need salmon from Maisy!” They’re then shown by a house on the waters edge collecting the salmon, and as each food item is listed (brussel sprouts, cheese, etc), they're seen collecting them from all over.?

All the food is then shown being arranged onto a large table and BFG starts to add his magical touches. We’re shown the latest Taste the Difference and Sainsbury’s dishes being highlighted — such as a roasted carrot galette, smoked salmon and maple terrine and a golden forest dessert.?

BFG and Sophie are then shown secretly delivering the delicious dishes to different households. The ad concludes with BFG and Sophie back in the Sainsbury’s lot, as a voiceover states, “Want to go big this Christmas? Ask Sainsbury’s.” As Sophie is dropped back off, she says, “Happy Christmas, BFG.” He replies with a smile, "Happy Christmas, Sophie.” She adjusts her nametag and walks away, as the Sainsbury’s logo appears on screen with a voiceover and the text: Good food for all of us.?

The ad marks the second year of Sainsbury's commitment to provide 'Good food for all of us,' offering access to innovative and affordable, great-tasting food for every customer.

3 facts

• Sainsbury’s “BIG Christmas” ad is a holiday spectacular, scoring in the top 10% on both sales and equity potential compared to all UK ads. It has nearly universal appeal, working well across men and women and most age groups.

• The engaging and enjoyable story based on Roald Dahl’s’s BFG creates a strong emotional connection with viewers, particularly evoking strong “Love” (41% vs 19% norm) and generating very high brand appeal for Sainsbury’s.

• Sainsbury’s is the hero in this endearing Christmas story helping BFG and Sophie create a bigger and more “fizzwhizzy” holiday meals for families, which makes it highly distinctive and clearly stand out as a Sainsbury’s ad (unaided brand recall: 81% vs 72% norm).

2 learnings

• The tone of the music makes the ad feel like a mini movie, lets the fairytale unfold and helps create an emotional connection with viewers. In this case, the Disney-esque music is well liked, conveys the whimsical, fairytale nature and helps amplify key moments in BFG’s and Sophie’s journey to make Christmas more magical for families.?
• Showing vs. telling the product benefits can be a very effective way to implicitly communicate higher order benefits about a brand that leads to strong purchase intent. This ad demonstrates the journey that BFG and Sophie must take to get high quality ingredients and the care that they take to make special, magical meals with very enticing food shots. This translates to strong perceptions of high quality, variety and perfect for holiday shopping and meals, generating a strong purchase uplift of 20%.

1 reflection

How can you use nostalgia to create a relevant and authentic experience for your brand??

Nostalgia works really well for Christmas ads specifically. Showing people celebrating the festivities, their traditions, family time, etc. creates a mood that works effectively during this season.?

Sainsbury’s not only uses the nostalgia of holiday festivities, but they also use the beloved and whimsical Roald Dahl story of BFG who goes on a magical journey to create a “bigger and better” Christmas for families. They do this in a way that taps into the nostalgia of the holiday, film and characters, all while showcasing the high quality and wide variety of Sainsbury’s food products that make a magical experience for family holidays.?

What a great way to create a strong emotional connection with viewers in a way that is authentic for the brand, leaving them with a strong affinity for Sainsbury’s!

For more data & analysis

There’s a lot more to say about this ad!

Go to the Zappi blog for a more detailed look at this ad’s performance — including more about the ad’s emotional impact.

Don't forget to subscribe to this newsletter so you don't miss more Christmas insights next week!

Until next week,

Kim Malcolm