Tesco’s Christmas ad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJYwfEI4Fyo
According to the Guardian:
Ray Shaughnessy, creative director at Wieden + Kennedy, the ad agency behind the campaign, said: “This year’s campaign is an important step change for Tesco. They are doing all sorts of unexpected things to help people have a brilliant Christmas. It won’t just be about them making sure you get the best turkey on the table; it will be about making sure that people feel Christmassy too.”
‘It will be about making sure that people feel Christmassy, too.’ (My added comma. I would also have removed ‘that’.)
What an ‘important step change’.
What did they do last year? Use a calypso for the soundtrack? Create a story around the Easter Bunny? Set the ad in North Korea?
Nope. They made sure people felt Christmassy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_4AOpcBwZ4
Slightly odd press releases aside, will it rescue Tesco from its current doldrums? Well, sorry to everyone involved, but as we say in my neck of the woods, this ain’t gonna move the needle.
It’s so generic that it could be for anyone from Boots to Morrisons, and considering its explicit aim, it doesn’t even make me feel that Christmassy. Perhaps a heavily disguised version of ‘What A Feeling’ wasn’t the best choice of track. The sentiment is fine (if enough people can tell what it is), but it’s got nowt to do with Christmas.
‘It’s Christmas, and we’re here to help, every step of the way’, they claim. Great, I’d like some sausages devoid of horsemeat, accounting devoid of lies and a workforce that isn’t paid on zero hours contracts, please. And if you can pay your suppliers fairly, that would also be a bonus.
I dunno. It seems like a strange move all round: first, it doesn’t feel like the kind of thing W&K would do, and second, it’s a timid move for a broken giant that needs boldness and strength.
Right, that’s enough about Christmas. I’m sitting in the 29-degree heat of Singapore, so it’s time for a trip to Raffles for a dirty martini. When I get back I’d love to know what you think.
Now this one.
I have no problem with people slagging off.
I thought the future of advertising was ‘digital’. Seems it’s Christmas TV ads. Student teams should just put those in their book.
I’ve never met this “Ray” bloke.
But it seems like he’s involved with Lurpak. Good for him.
Looks like he’s attempted to borrow that faux-literary, cod-verbose tone that seems to feature on nearly everything that comes out of Wiedens London (love the recent “type R” ad though).
I saw some pretty shitty press ads for a book shop (can’t remember which one, unsurprisingly) that came out of there the other day, they had EXACTLY THE SAME tone of voice.
I think the agency suffers a bit from worrying too much about protecting it’s hipster house-style, than actually attempting to tackle a significant business problem for a client up shit creek – much to their oft and well publicised protestations to be “brand stewards” and other such guff.
Considering how all-pervading news of Tesco’s recent financial downfall has been, I’m surprised that their clever strategy experts didn’t think that coming out with this dire piece of humourless pap wasn’t a bit fucking naive.
It will waft over the people they are attempting to reach like another tidal wave of Penguin effluence.
The lucky ones will ride that wave all the way to their local Lidl.
wow, that’s one effing boring sh*t.
Rather tame. Yawn.
I’d have thought, given their recent financial problems, that Tesco might have wanted to save a few quid on the ‘leccy.
This one feels like it’s the result of a focus group initiative that’s been banged through Tag without a courtesy call to Neil Christie. It’s devoid of W+K-ness, the arrangement is clumsier than an armless dyspraxic on a snowboard and the budget spunked on the Peppa Pig bit is wasted.
It’s half-baked shite.
None the less, nobody would think meanly of the W+K top brass going up to Cheshunt with a white flag and m’learned friends in tow if this is what the client relationship’s generating at its zenith.
In Singapore the only place you can stick your chewing gum without ending up in jail is up your arse.
Fact.
I might not be Arsene but I know this…
…when you’re out there taking a complete battering, you don’t pull off your defensive midfielders, throw on those two tricksy Brazilians you just signed from River Plate and switch to a dynamic 2-3-2-1-1-1 formation.
No,no, no. You keep it simple to stop it turning into a cricket score. That means a big man up top and everyone else behind the ball.
And that friends, is what this ad is.
If I’m Tesco Chief Exec, that’s what I’m thinking. Get through Christmas with a semblance of respectability, worry about category-changing advertising after that.
Cheers.
So disappointing, from both brand and agency.
@Butterbean: that is surely a million miles from whatever creative philosophy W&K have lived by.
Your client is in trouble. Here’s a great opportunity to get it a fuckload of goodwill and a metaphorical pat on the back.
If instead the answer is ‘make a bland, forgettable, generic load of blancmange and hope no one notices’ then that’s remarkably depressing for agency, client and industry.
You could easily create a much better ad that wouldn’t risk the ‘cricket score’.
So, do you think Tesco will be doing their bit for Earth Hour this year?
I guess that this is the last Tesco Christmas ad that W+K will work on. What a swansong. This is Nokia 2.0 for them.
Ray is a woman btw.
Happy Kwanza everybody!
Clients make ads, not advertising agencies
@Ben. To be fair, ‘W&K’s creative philosophy’ seems to have done sweet football association for Tesco in the last two years…
Anyway, clients make ads not advertising agencies.
In fairness to TESCO, they are a middle of the road grocer. It could have been a lot less artful than this. A few sherries in you and this golden.
…this “is” golden
Tesco just unveiled its 2014 Christmas TV advert, which focuses on festive lights.
I enjoy watching these fun and happy Holiday ads, too.
I think it’s pretty obvious that this isn’t a typical W+K ad.
It stinks of a nightmare client that is in free fall.
People from TESCO are getting sacked, they’re under the cosh from the media (yet again) and whichever regulating body for fraud. I doubt any agency / planner could persuade them not to play it safe.
Respect to W+K for giving an account like that a crack but realistically they need to let them go and focus their efforts elsewhere.