The Christmas ad season in the supermarket sector has got underway with Asda and Iceland unveiling their campaigns.
Asda’s campaign, entitled Let’s make Christmas Extra Special, will officially launch on TV tomorrow night with a special two-minute feature during a break in The X Factor: Celebrity.
The campaign is centred on the people who go the extra mile to spread joy throughout the festive season and make it a special time for all. The story in this year’s ad shows how a little act of generosity from a young girl, inspired by the stories from her Grandad, can snowball into something bigger.
In addition to the two-minute ad, Asda will also air a 60-second brand ad and shorter 30-second product-focused versions during the festive period.
Asda’s Chief Customer Officer Andy Murray commented: “We truly believe that with great quality products at leading price points; everybody can have an extra special Christmas with Asda.
“We know the most important thing to our customers at Christmas is spending time with family and friends. These are the people who make Christmas special and they’re willing to go the extra mile to make sure the occasion is truly magical.
“This generosity is reflected through our whole Christmas campaign this year, from the wonderful spirit of Tilly and Jack in our ad to a beautiful digital storybook of ‘Santa’s Leftover Magic’ that has been created in support of our Fight Hunger Create Change Initiative. We have also doubled donations from our Asda Foundation to over £1m to support good causes over the next three months.”
Meanwhile, Iceland is returning to a more traditional festive theme after its controversial Rang Tan ad last year that was banned from being shown on TV.
The supermarket chain has linked up Disney and the animated stars of its new Frozen 2 film that hits cinemas later this month. The collaboration kicks off with a 40-second TV spot on ITV this evening which features exclusive custom animations that Walt Disney Animation Studios created for Iceland. They bring Frozen 2’s characters together for a traditional game of charades and to celebrate their favourite things about Christmas.
In addition to the main ad (see below), Iceland will run a number of 30-second product-focused films, as well as digital, social media, and press activity.
Iceland hopes the ads will highlight the benefits of frozen food around the festive season.
“There’s a huge untold story around frozen food and the role it can play at Christmas. There’s a real focus on letting people understand the value and quality of frozen food,” said Neil Hayes, Iceland’s marketing director.
“We’re also really confident. We think it’s a nice message and will resonate with our customers and attract some new ones to store too.”
