Tesco hopes to capture the nation’s mood as it preps for season of ‘well-deserved celebrations’

Tesco is looking to capture the mood of the nation with its festive campaign, focusing on the idea that the British public will let nothing get in the way of celebrating Christmas this year.

Launching today (13 November), the TV ad is backed by the Queen track ‘Don’t stop me now’ and follows a woman determined to celebrate Christmas with her family – no matter what obstructions hinder her progress. She is offered ‘a little help’ by a Tesco worker and overcomes all the hurdles on her route.

Created by BBH, the ad is based on insight from Tesco research that shows 86% of UK adults plan to let nothing stop them from having a good time this Christmas. Many felt Christmas 2021 was ‘cancelled’ by Covid-19 restrictions.

The TV spot comes in a 90-second, 60-second and two 30-second versions, with supporting activity across press, outdoor advertising, radio, social, in-store and PR. With media planned by MediaCom, the ad debuts on ITV during The Chase Celebrity Special.

“We know that Christmas is a hugely important time for many of our customers and, after last year’s events, that is truer now than ever,” says Tesco’s chief customer officer Alessandra Bellini.

“Whenever we set out to create our campaigns, we want to be sure that we capture how the nation really feel and reflect that.”

With Tesco’s research revealing the public’s determination to enjoy Christmas this year, the brand was inspired to showcase the little things that have the potential to get in the way – from running out of mince pieces to running late to a Christmas party – and the “spirit” that will allow Brits to overcome them.

“We hope our joyful festive ad will resonate and put a smile on people’s faces as we prepare for a season of well-deserved celebrations. After all, this Christmas, nothing’s stopping us,” she says. 

Earlier this year Tesco said it would be renewing its focus on premium products as part of its four new “strategic priorities”, which include providing “magnetic value” for customers, evolving its Clubcard proposition, convenience, and driving cost-savings. According to CEO Ken Murphy, the strategic shift has come after noticing elevated demand for products in the Finest range at certain times of the week.

The pillars are designed to deliver increased customer satisfaction and grow or maintain UK market share, generating between £1.4bn and £1.8bn retail free cash flow per year.

Over the first six months of the year, Tesco posted a total adjusted retail operating profit of £1.4bn, 16.6% ahead of the same period last year. Online like-for-like sales were up by 2.3%, equating to a 74.1% rise compared to pre-pandemic figures from two years ago.