This week, Sainsbury’s unveiled their new Christmas campaign, transporting us back to Victorian Britain to explore the origins of our favourite festive traditions.
As Marketing Week reports, the campaign aims to celebrates the role Sainsbury’s has played at Christmas over the past 150 years.
In an increasingly cluttered market, Laura Boothby, head of broadcast marketing, believes an idea that “makes people feel something” is increasingly important.
“It is such a tough and cluttered market and everyone is talking about the food, it’s pretty hard to differentiate on that”
In keeping with their own tradition, Sainsbury’s waited until after Armistice Day to launch their ad which usually sets them apart from other brands.
However, competitors like John Lewis, Tesco and Waitrose have yet to launch their campaigns this year. A number of new brands have also entered the fray – including Selfridges and Ikea.
Boothby feels Christmas gives them a licence to “step away a little bit” from its usual marketing because people are looking for something a bit different.
However, it is key, she says, that people still know the ad is from Sainsbury’s, hence the clear branding at the beginning and use of the colour orange throughout.
“At Christmas, people want something joyful and special – colours and sparkles and festive. We can afford to step a little bit away from our brand assets as long as we keep the core.”
The full film will only appear online but shorter edits will run on TV and will be supported by press, outdoor and radio advertising.