This year’s festive ad from Sainsbury’s opens with the words any parent dreads hearing: ‘I have a question about Santa’. Thankfully, the girl who asks the question over the supermarket’s tannoy is less curious about the existence of Father Christmas and more about what he eats for his Christmas dinner.

Her question is met with a flurry of responses from the supermarket’s staff – who this year are played by actual employees rather than actors – with each of them suggesting their favourite festive showstoppers and treats.

There’s even a brief cameo from 80s pop icon Rick Astley, who appears to be having a moment in the wake of his viral Glasto performance earlier this year (he also re-recorded his classic hit Never Gonna Give You Up for a recent Specsavers ad). The choice of Astley was largely because “he’s not completely unexpected as someone you might find down the cheese aisle at Sainsbury’s”, says head of campaigns Emma Bisley.

The campaign is the first piece of work from New Commercial Arts, who took over from the brand’s longstanding agency, Wieden+Kennedy, earlier this year. It also marks the first use of its new brand promise: ‘Good Food for All of Us’.

Credits:
Founder, CCO: Ian Heartfield
Founder, CEO: James Murphy
Founder, CSO: David Golding
Art Director: Alicia Job
Copywriter: Jess Pacey
Artistic Directors: Nici Hofer, Dan Bailey, Brad Woolf
Design & Artwork: King Henry Studios
Head of Design: Danny Tomkins
Designer: Jasmin Price
Artworker: Lol Keen
Motion Graphics: Mat Wardle
Production Company: Pulse Films
Director: Freddie Waters
DoPs: Benjamin Kračun, Matt Fox
Photographer: Colin Campbell