Morrisons makes its staff the stars of Christmas ad campaign
Morrisons’s marketing boss is hoping that a focus on its fresh food and the service provided by its staff will help communicate its “uniqueness” and boost sales over the crucial festive shopping period.
The campaign will go live on social media tomorrow morning (6 November) ahead of its TV debut the same evening. It focuses on the staff at Morrisons, including its butchers, bakers, greengrocers and fishmonger and how they will help “deliver a magical Christmas at Morrisons”.
That is a big shift from previous years when Morrisons used brand ambassadors Ant and Dec to promote its products and service.
There will be three separate TV spots, one promoting its in-store freshly made food, another Christmas treats and the third services such as express checkouts and wine glass hiring.
Each ad will finish with the strapline ‘Make it a magical Christmas… at Morrisons’.
Speaking to Marketing Week, Morrisons’ interim marketing director Andy Atkinson said the campaign is based on three key insights: that customers love its fresh food, the fact it makes so much food in store and can personalise products for customers and the service provided by staff.
“This year we are making our staff the superstars and putting them front and centre of the adverts. All this came from our customers and listening to what they love about us and then wrapping that up in the idea that we can help them have a magical experience,” he explained.
“Dovetailing that with our uniqueness around fresh food and how we make so much food in store – that is our sweet spot.”
The TV spots will be supported by print, direct, out of home and radio advertising, as well as a campaign on social media using the hashtag #makeitmagical.
While Atkinson would not speak about Morrisons’ budget he said there would be a big push on social media, in particular Facebook, where its customers are spending more time.
“Our presence on digital has really accelerated this year and we are pleased with our effort on social media and the ability to have that dialogue with customers. This Christmas we want to build on that,” he said.
The campaign was created by DLKW Lowe but Atkinson admitted this would be the agency’s last campaign for the supermarket after its decision to puts its creative account up for brief.
He said he is looking for an agency that can “explode” its message around fresh food, provenance and the role of its staff.
“The best creative agency will really understand that and bring it to life for customers. We want to tell that story in a really straightforward honest way and be consistent on the benefits of that with the backbone of our people right at the heart of it,” he explained.