Discover the Emotional Story Behind Tesco’s Bittersweet Christmas
Tesco’s 2024 Christmas campaign, ‘Helping Feed Your Christmas Spirit,’ is a heartwarming celebration of family traditions, cherished memories, and the real-life delights that make the festive season special. Created by BBH London, the campaign follows the touching story of Gary, who rekindles his Christmas spirit by embracing the cherished memories of his late grandmother, and creating new ones with his grandfather. The film, rich with nostalgia, aims to resonate with the highs and lows of the season, offering a message of joy, togetherness, and resilience, while its striking gingerbread-inspired visuals represent both the character’s grief and hope.
The campaign showcases Tesco’s understanding of the nuanced emotions of Christmas, from the comfort of familiar traditions to moments of bittersweet reflection. Through its gingerbread-themed narrative and a charity focus on supporting communities, Tesco seeks to remind viewers that even small acts – like building a gingerbread house – can nourish our Christmas spirit.
By featuring a festive spread of classic and innovative Tesco products, and tying the story to their ongoing partnerships with Trussell and FareShare, the campaign extends beyond celebration to make a tangible difference in the community. Paired with the evocative Gorillaz soundtrack ‘On Melancholy Hill,’ the ad captures a universal blend of nostalgia and hope, making it a standout addition to Tesco’s holiday tradition. It’s safe to say, it made all of us at LBB sob.
Today, head of marketing at Tesco Alicia Southgate and BBH London’s deputy executive creative director Felipe Guimaraes talk about the power of upkeeping tradition, and why a sprinkle of nostalgia always enhances the Christmas flavours.
LBB> Tesco’s Christmas campaign centers around "feeding Christmas spirit," tapping into nostalgia and traditions. What prompted you to focus on this theme for the 2024 campaign?
Alicia> We wanted to build upon the success of last year's campaign ‘Helping You Become More Christmas’, which was based on the insight that while people love the idea of ‘feeling Christmassy’ the reality is that in the run-up to the big day, the festive spirit can fluctuate, and sometimes we all need a little help to lift it again.
We wanted this Christmas campaign to explore that theme while also feeling fresh for this year.
Felipe> We knew we wanted to build from the success of last year. We needed to find a way to move the work on but still feel like it had some connection to last year.
The idea came from a great insight that the team found - that the Christmas spirit is something that needs looking after. That throughout the season it ebbs and flows and Tesco could be the brand that helps lift it back up. Thus the idea of “helping feed your Christmas spirit” was born.
LBB> Following the success of the 2023 campaign, what aspects did you consciously build upon to create continuity, and what did you prioritize to bring a new, unique energy this year?
Felipe> It felt that the work from 2023 had a distinct tone. The campaign was entertaining, but real and honest. It was also a linear human story. At Christmas, many brands were doing big theatrical vignette based work so going against the grain and doing something more led by storytelling felt right. The world that was created felt very ownable for Tesco, it was real British life with a touch of magic. We wanted to make sure this one still had that vibe.
LBB> Gary’s story revolves around the power of familiar Christmas traditions, particularly the gingerbread house. What made this theme resonate with Tesco’s vision for the campaign?
Alicia> Gary's story was born from insight that our Christmas spirit is something that needs looking after and crucially for the narrative of the campaign, the insight highlighted that festive traditions enjoyed with family and loved ones can literally and figuratively be a way to top up Christmas spirit.
Customers told us they love repeating previously treasured shared experiences, even if those traditions evolve over time. And in this film, we used the heartwarming tradition of building a gingerbread house to demonstrate this.
LBB> With the clear focus on tradition and the sentimental value of family in the campaign, how did BBH approach these universal themes in a way that feels both fresh and meaningful?
Felipe> This film was all about human connection and relationships. We didn’t set out to try and make something sentimental, we wanted something that felt real and honest. Grief and loss is such a big part of Christmas as families come together and is a time you notice those that are no longer there. It felt right and powerful and interesting to explore that space.
LBB> And can you tell us more about the gingerbread-inspired visuals. What was the vision for these scenes and were there any challenges encountered in bringing them to life?
Felipe> We knew we wanted to bring some charm and wit to this powerful narrative. That needed to come from how we treated the gingerbread world. The biggest challenge was trying to create a world that would build up and crumble in a way that felt entertaining and light-hearted, but also helped carry the narrative. We also decided to make sure a lot of the gingerbread world was done in camera, as the work needed to have a tangible and real feel to it.
LBB> 'On Melancholy Hill' by Gorillaz serves as the soundtrack for the ad. What made this song a fitting choice for the campaign, and how does it help set the tone for Gary’s journey?
Felipe> We started to play this track on set and the minute we played it against some of the shots, we knew we were onto something. The brief for the music was complicated and this track just nailed it.
We wanted a track that people knew, but that was not too commercial. It needed to carry two very different emotions - make people feel happy and uplifted. But it also had to puncture the sadness and melancholy of the film.
LBB> The campaign also incorporates a charitable element, with donations for every gingerbread product sold. Could you share more on Tesco's relationship with Trussell and FareShare, and how you expect this will impact communities this season?
Alicia> That's right, 10p from every sale of gingerbread at Tesco this Christmas will be donated to Trussell and FareShare, to help provide access to food for people in the community that need our help. This is in addition to our ongoing partnership with the charities which includes our annual Winter Food collection. Last year’s Winter Food Collection saw two million meals donated that helped to provide families who are using foodbanks or relying on charity support over the winter months with meals and emergency food parcels.
Outside of these partnerships, pre-packed food donation bags are in all our large stores and help to make donations easier and we are rolling this out to a number of Express stores for this year’s collection too.
LBB> How did you decide on the specific products to highlight in the festive spread, and were any new items introduced with this campaign in mind?
Alicia> Food is, of course, at the heart of Christmas at Tesco. This year, we have featured a range of festive classics that our customers know and love (such as Tesco Finest turkeys and buttery mince pies), but we also chose to hero innovation and inspiration by selecting some of our top picks from over 200 brand-new food lines. This includes our Tesco Finest Chef’s Collection range – for example our new Tesco Finest Chef’s Collection Morello Cherry & Chocolate Delice. In fact, 50% of our Christmas range is new or improved, and includes over 300 Tesco Finest products and an expanded plant-based offering.
LBB> Christmas can often be both joyful and bittersweet. Why did Tesco choose to address this nuanced side of the season, and what reaction do you hope it will evoke from viewers?
Alicia> The campaign taps into the key moments of the season, exploring the things that top up, or feed, our Christmas spirit, as well as the things that might see it start to waver, including loved ones we miss, but ultimately offering a message of togetherness,
nostalgia and festive joy. We worked closely with customers when shaping the film to find a story that they connected with, a protagonist to root for and ultimately a story that had heart. We hope it goes a little way to helping feed our customer’s Christmas
spirit.
Felipe> The whole team was all in when it came to the emotional arch of the film. We knew we had to set the narrative super clear from the start and allow the viewer to feel what Gary was feeling. We wanted this to be uplifting and positive in the end, but without trivialising the subject.
LBB> The ad’s debut is during The Martin Lewis Money Show and Great British Bake Off, both of which have broad family audiences. How important was it to reach viewers during these programs, and what significance do they hold for Tesco’s holiday strategy?
Alicia> Christmas is probably our best example of a truly multichannel, integrated campaign. Throughout the season we are looking to reach all customers so will draw upon an array of different paid, owned and earned strategies in order to drive maximum reach, relevance and effectiveness.
