Tesco_Christmas

Tesco’s Christmas ad is a cheeky swipe at the UK’s political permacrisis

The supermarket offers up a new political solution in its ad, in the form of the Christmas Party, which promises to ‘stand for joy’

It came as no surprise to anyone when Collins dictionary announced that it’s word of the year for 2022 was ‘permacrisis’. With the UK on its third prime minister this year, plus a cost of living crisis, war in Ukraine, the climate disaster, and the knock-on effects of Brexit, it’s hardly been a year to savour.

But you’ve got to laugh, and Tesco attempts to help us along with that via its Christmas ad, which attempts to put a tongue-in-cheek spin on the political dramas with the introduction of the Christmas Party, which promises “more pigs in more blankets for more people” and “a referendum to see if Love Actually is the greatest Christmas film”.

Created by BBH London, the ad continues a series of Christmas spots from Tesco over the past few years which aim to reflect the zeitgeist, though in a cheery fashion, while highlighting the brief respite that the holiday season might bring from the current gloom.

“It’s very important that our seasonal campaigns reflect how our customers genuinely feel and what we know they are looking for,” says Alessandra Bellini, chief customer officer at Tesco. “We understand that it is a tough time at the moment with everyone’s finances under pressure, but we also know that people are looking forward to Christmas – in fact, our research shows that there is even more excitement around it than usual. This is why we decided to officially stand up for joy this Christmas.”

Credits:
Creative Agency: Bartle Bogle Hegarty London
Lead Creative Team: Marc Rayson, Callum Prior
BBH Dublin Xreatives: Sam Caren, Aubrey O’Connell
Creative Directors: Christine Turner, Kevin Masters
Studio Leads: Andy Cooke, Anthony Jones, Rob Wilson
Creative Producer: Julian Cave
Global Chief Creative Officer: Alex Grieve
Production Company: MJZ
Director: Fredrik Bond