Timing is everything in comedy. If Tesco had released this ad in the summer, the chances are the supermarket would have been condemned for a lack of taste. Yet roll forwards six months and we’re all desperate to find a way to laugh about the awful year it’s been.

Unexpectedly for a brand that normally plays it pretty safe, Tesco provides an answer in its Christmas ad, by taking a gentle swipe at the various ways we might have ended up on Santa’s naughty list this year: by buying too many toilet rolls, for example, or by not singing Happy Birthday when we washed our hands.

Happily, according to Tesco, Santa is taking a year off from the list this year, meaning we can have all the treats we like for Christmas. The result is a witty and refreshing spot from Tesco, and a candid take on what has been a terrible year, without resorting to being schmaltzy.

Credits:
Agency: BBH London
Creatives: Daniel Seager, Steve Hall
Creative director: Tom Drew
Head of art: Uche Ezugwu
Production company: Somesuch
Director: Raine Allen-Miller