The big supermarket guns are already out for Christmas, a funny old one in the UK as Westminster’s version of The Grinch – chancellor Rachel Reeves – has yet to deliver her (not so) goodies. By the time she does on November 26 many of the big Christmas ads will be stashed away for another year.
Asda, now at Lucky Generals, has had a strange old time: labouring under a private equity deal engineered by two petrol station barons. It now has Alan Leighton, who built the former Associated Dairies business with Archie Norman (now at M&S) back running the show. With a Grinch of its own – one taking on the cost of living crisis.
Sainsbury’s, meanwhile, is giving its Big Friendly Giant a second airing – just in case we forget the strategy: good food for all of us (even large, disruptive giants.) A rather winning Sainsbury’s helper helps.
The point about Christmas ads is to make us feel good about the festival and for some of that to wash over the brand and its sales. Which both of these, in their different ways, do, helped by two good agencies with care and attention in their DNA.
MAA creative scale (both): 8.5.
