Waitrose Builds on Christmas 'Whodunnit' Excitement with Vicky McClure and Martin Compston

Waitrose’s hugely popular whodunnit festive ad starring Successions Matthew Macfadyen as Detective, and Fig the cat as an (un)likely suspect, is about to launch the next phase of its accompanying social campaign, continuing to drive conversation online around this year’s biggest Christmas mystery – who stole the Christmas -No.1 red velvet bauble- dessert?  

Created by Wonderhood Makers, the social-first content arm of Wonderhood Studios, the new social instalment will follow their first iteration which featured one of the nation’s most-loved detective duos, Vicky McClure and Martin Compston.  

Joining forces to catch the mysterious culprit, part two, launching today, continues the investigation, with our duo deciphering Easter Eggs within the spot, to ultimately determine who (they think) ‘dunnit’, ahead of the reveal of the main advert taking place on Tuesday 26th November.

The two-part social-first content has seen the first instalment amassing over 3m views, across Instagram and TikTok, organically, with Kantar, revealing that the content is still currently in the top 6% of ‘thumb stopping power’ and top 7% for enjoyment.

When considering how to create content for social platforms that truly amplifies an ATL campaign, Amy Downes, creative director, Wonderhood Makers said, “It's crucial for brands to meet consumers where they are, and to deliver assets that don’t feel like an afterthought. We are all thirsty for entertainment, and too often – brands publish ATL cut downs on their channels and call it a day. This amplification is proof that investment in talent, concept and execution shouldn’t be reserved for TV, VOD or OOH – and it’s definitely not wasted on social. Audiences deserve and devour quality content, regardless of the platform.”

Sarah Hood, head of social at Waitrose, commented, “This year's Christmas campaign has been a real step-change for us and we wanted to make sure we went bigger than ever on social. This is the first year we've had dedicated, social first content around the Christmas ad, and to be able to bring in two of the nation's most loved detectives to help crack the case has been the perfect mix of fun and talkability.”