Tesco pushes customer focus in Christmas ad campaign

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJYwfEI4Fyo

The supermarket’s “Make Christmas” spot was created in response to a tweet from Tesco customer Claire Hannah last year who was disappointed that her local store didn’t have a green Christmas hat above the Tesco sign outside.

The Wieden+Kennedy-created ad opens on a dad rummaging in the attic for boxes of decorations and one by one introduces families gathering to decorate their homes and Tesco staff helping them out in store.

It culminates in a huge Christmas light display at Hannah’s local Wigan store featuring almost 1 million LED lights and a green hat being placed on the Tesco sign. Soundtracked by a brass band cover of Irene Cara’s “What a Feeling” it ends with the strapline “Every Little Helps Make Christmas”.

The add debuts during the final episode of Downton Abbey on ITV this evening (9 November). Tesco will also be asking people to tweet under the hashtag #MakeChristmas.

The full light show will feature in an additional film that will appear on YouTube. Plus Tesco is expanding the number of store that will feature the green hat to more than 700, the highest number ever.

Jill Easterbrook, Tesco’s chief customer officer, says the ad is one example of what the supermarket is doing to help make Christmas for its customers. The campaign hopes to celebrate the excitement of Christmas and Tesco’s focus on helping the nation in “fun and useful ways”.

“Christmas is a wonderfully special time of year and we want to help customers in whatever way we can. We’re with our customers every step of the way through the festive season,” she adds.

Tesco’s marketing so far this year has been price-focused – promoting its lower prices and money-saving schemes such as Fuelsave. However it hasn’t helped improve Tesco’s sales, with the retailer the worst performer in the supermarket sector, according to figures from Kantar Worldpanel, with its sales falling 3.6% in the 12 weeks to 12 October.

Since new chief executive Dave Lewis took over at the start of September has repeatedly reiterated Tesco’s need to return to its focus on customers. He has promised to invest in customer service and the in-store experience in a bid to win shoppers back from the discounters.

Asda has also opted to pull back from its price-based message for Christmas in favour of a campaign that embraces the “genuine warmth” associated with the holiday. Morrisons has also suggested it will focus on service and quality, rather than price, over Christmas when it reveals its strategy on Tuesday (11 November).