8 minute read
Christmas classics: Fionnuala
Marks & Spencer:
Percy Pig comes to life
Much loved and infamous pig Percy takes centre stage in this year’s Marks & Spencer Christmas advert in a light hearted ad with comedian Dawn French as a fairy Christmas tree decoration (who comes to life) and Spiderman actor Tom Holland as Percy Pig.
The fairy drops her magic wand, landing on a gift box that Percy was in - bringing the little pig to life. But of course, Percy has never experienced Christmas before; he has only been ‘alive’ for a few seconds. So he explores a Marks & Spencer shop, checking out the fancy festive food on offer.
Experts from across the industry worked together on creating the advert – from the composer for the bespoke track, to creatives at Grey London, to leading animators at MPC.
As part of the biggest campaign for several years, the team has also created a further seven adverts showing Percy exploring different food products, meaning new content will be released from now until New Year. The campaign will also engage in its first TikTok takeover.
Sharry Cramond, director of marketing for M&S Food, said: “The M&S Christmas Food range this year is better than ever and who better to tell customers about our delicious Christmas food range than the national treasure and much-loved M&S icon himself, Percy Pig!”
Tesco: This Christmas, Nothing’s Stopping Us
Tesco’s Christmas advert, which features Santa showing his Covid vaccine passport, has divided opinion with some shoppers going as far to say that are boycotting the brand because of it.
The advert, which is titled This Christmas, Nothing’s Stopping Us, and to the tune of Freddie Mercury, Don’t Stop Me Now is themed around the impact Covid had on families over the last year. At the launch, BBH, the ad agency behind the campaign, described it as a “rallying cry to show we’re made of harder stuff this year”.
It features Tesco customers that are determined to enjoy a fun Christmas with their friends and family, after all of the restrictions last year. However, a TV reporter tells people the ‘breaking news’ that Santa could be ‘quarantined’. Santa is then shown presenting his Covid pass at border control, proving he has been vaccinated to a customs officer so he can enter the country without restriction. Not surprisingly, this has annoyed those who are involved with the anti-vaccination movement.
Aldi: A Christmas Carrot by Charles Chickens
Family favourite Kevin the Carrot is back on screens this Christmas with a new nemesis Ebanana Scrooge! Aldi has brought the pair together for its Christmas TV ad A Christmas Carrot by Charles Chickens and highlights charity partner Barnardos, who Aldi teamed up with in October 2020 with a goal of raising €1 million across a two year partnership.
The Christmas Carrot TV ad, which premiered on 11 November in Emmerdale on Virgin Media One, is a charming Dickensianstyle take on A Christmas Carol, and follows the story of Christmas loathing Ebanana Scrooge, who is reminded of the joys of the festive season by Kevin the Carrot.
The animated Yuletide story is voiced by chef Catherine Fulvio, features the wellknown Irish folk-style ballad Fairytale of New York and introduces viewers to a medley of fruit and vegetable characters - including Marcus Radishford, which is voiced by the England striker, Marcus Rashford, as well as Tiny Tom, Peas and Goodwill and Kevin’s Dickensian family.
This is the sixth successive year that Aldi’s Christmas ad campaign has featured Kevin the Carrot, with last year’s ad campaign racking up over 3.2 million views online.
Rita Kirwan, marketing director at Aldi Ireland, said: “We hope the campaign will remind everyone of the true meaning of Christmas and how important it is to be kind over the festive period. We are committed to achieving our proposed target of €1 million for our charity partner Barnardos and would encourage everyone to support by texting ‘KIDS’ to 50300 to donate €4 to help support a vulnerable child this Christmas!”
John Lewis: The Unexpected Guest
We can’t talk about Christmas ads and not mention John Lewis despite the fact the stores are UK-based only. However it might be fair to say that a lot of inspiration for the big Christmas ad tradition has been taken from John Lewis after a string of absolute smashers including the Man on the Moon in 2015.
This year’s John Lewis festive advert is called The Unexpected Guest and features a teenage boy called Nathan who meets an alien named Skye who has crash landed on earth. Through friendship Nathan shows Skye a series of festive family traditions. But the advert has a bittersweet ending, as Skye has fixed her ship and must return home. It shows the joy of experiencing Christmas for the first time.
This year’s soundtrack to the advert is performed by songwriter Lola Young, to the track Together in Electric Dreams. The Unexpected Guest story was created in partnership with agency adam&eveDDB.
The new ads this year are an eclectic mix of funny, emotional and on-brand and most have honed in on the current struggles people are living with during the pandemic. However, will we be writing about any of these in 10 years’ time? It’s hard to tell. The old classics seem to be the ones with the most simple of messages accompanied by a catchy original jingle yet the ads seem to get more elaborate as the years go on. One thing is for sure, the ads are now an integral part of the Christmas season and require a massive chunk of the retailers’ marketing budgets. The bar has been raised so the public expect to be wowed. No pressure on the marketing departments so! ■
Gala Retail: The Recipe
Gala Retail made its first foray into the highly competitive Christmas ad arena this year with the launch of its first ever Christmas advertisement, a heart-warming glimpse of a family’s determination to uphold a sentimental Christmas tradition.
Titled The Recipe, the ad’s story centres around a young girl, who with the help of her father, tries over and over again to recreate her late mother’s famous Christmas cake recipe. Each new baking attempt brings another disappointing result - and another trip to Gala - until she receives a very special surprise gift on Christmas eve.
CEO of Gala Retail, Gary Desmond said the group is thrilled to launch its first Christmas ad.
“Christmas is often a time where old family traditions are upheld,” Desmond said, “and we feel that ‘The Recipe’ perfectly captures the importance that traditions, such as an old family recipe, hold for Irish families at this time of year.”
The ad was written and created by agency Verve|Showrunner, produced by 2021 Kinsale Sharks Production Company of the year, Banjoman, and directed by Claire Byrne, with original music from Video Blue.
A family operation over 20 years in business with an excellent reputation for both quality produce and friendly customer service in its local area, Mace Fermoy has witnessed impressive sales growth following a revamp in July of this year
Ace at Mace!
Retailer Donnchadh McCarthy took over management of Mace Fermoy over 10 years ago, after his father Pat McCarthy retired
Five months on from the completion of an impressive redesign, Mace Fermoy manager and owner, Donnchadh McCarthy, is very pleased with the positive response from customers and the effect it has had on business. After changing to a Mace in 2000, the family-owned store, which has a forecourt attached, has been serving the needs of the North Cork town enthusiastically.
Store redesign proving popular
Donnchadh is always looking for ways to connect more with his customers’ wants and needs and undergoing a redesign of his Mace store has proven to do just that. The refit took just under one year, 10 months to be precise. The store traded throughout the redesign without any issues, which was fantastic.
A new seating area, full off-licence, new Insomnia unit and For Food’s Sake deli are just some of the new additions to the store. All of the scones are baked freshly in-store and Mace Fermoy has also introduced new hot carvery dinners. The full off-licence came about after noticing an increase in customers purchasing alcohol and Donnchadh realised the opportunity presented.
Similarly, the staff noticed that customers would purchase hot drinks or food and then return to eat it in their cars, which gave Donnchadh further food for thought and, ultimately, he wanted to offer his customers better options, thus came the idea to introduce a seating area to his store.
“The seating area has only been open for a few weeks and it has taken off hugely. I think due to Covid-19 there is still some hesitation using communal areas due to the everevolving nature of the pandemic, but our store has implemented and adapted to any covid-related legalisation that has come out and we hope to see it get even more use when the numbers ease,” said Donnchadh.
STORE PROFILE Retailer: Mace Fermoy Address: Dublin Rd, Ballynamona, Fermoy, Co. Cork Staff: 10 Size: 1,800sq ft Opening hours: Monday – Saturday: 7am – 11pm, Sunday: 8am – 11pm
Effects of Covid-19
When Covid-19 hit, it had a very negative impact on the store. Fuel sales dropped significantly, which had a knock-on effect on the shop.
“Once restrictions eased, we saw a return to normality as much as anyone else did,” noted Donnchadh. Store sales are mainly impulse items like minerals and food from the deli.
“Our main customer base is locals that come in and on foot, and the other half are people working nearby like the builders at the local farm, from the local co-op, nearby ESB staff or the local lady coming in to get her cup of tea and a lotto ticket.
Despite the hardships that Covid-19 brought, the Mace Fermoy team powered ahead and took this time as an opportunity to
