Featuring a family that’s getting into the holiday spirit ahead of the big day, some more enthusiastically than others, this Tesco spot, “Become More Christmas,” is packed full of festive joy.
Created by BBH, the commercial taps into the insight that for many of us, Christmas is about so much more than the big day.
While there will always be the “Big Christmas Shop,” the need for festive goods and festivities in general starts a lot earlier than Dec. 25th. In fact, the Tesco 2023 Christmas Report revealed that nearly a third of U.K. adults (31%) said they find the build up to Christmas more exciting than the big day itself.
The ad opens on an enthusiastic dad and his reticent son driving to Tesco for their usual shop. While wandering around the store, the dad spots a Christmas sampling display and, after getting his first taste of Christmas (the Tesco Finest Triple Chocolate Star Shaped Panettone), immediately transforms into a Christmas tree as he gets into the festive spirit. In typical teenage fashion, his son looks embarrassed and walks away, clearly reluctant to join in the fun.
In another scene, dad has gone through a truly tree-mendous transformation, complete with twinkling lights, and is excitedly putting the decorations up at home. When mom returns home from Tesco and delights in sharing some Tesco Finest Golden Mince Pies, she is overcome with festive joy and captures the “Become More Christmas” mantra, transforming into a spectacular Snowmum.
Following a second visit to Tesco, other customers can be seen “Becoming More Christmas” with baubles and glittering stars exploring the aisles. At the checkout, dad is served by a Tesco colleague who has transformed into a reindeer. As soon as dad’s Tesco Clubcard is accepted, a shining star decoration explodes from the top of his head, and his Christmas transformation is complete.
While everyone around him “Becomes More Christmas,” the teenage son continues to remain hesitant to get into the festive spirit. Until, dad gives him the handcrafted Christmas tree topper that he made when he was a little boy–it’s just the nudge the teen needs to transform into a Christmas tree himself, topped with that very star.
BBH’s Felipe Serradourada Guimaraes was the campaign’s deputy executive creative director, and Elliott White and Will Maxey were the lead creative team. The film was directed by Alaska (Marco Lafer and Gustavo Moraes) through Iconoclast. The spot is set to the soundtrack of OMC’s “How Bizarre.”
CreditsClient Tesco Agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) London Alex Grieve, global chief creative officer; Felipe Guimaraes, creative director; Elliott White, sr. copywriter; Wil Maxey, sr. art director; Saskia Jones, group strategy director; Hannah Slapper, strategy director; Tom Papaloizou, sr. strategist; Lisa Nicholls, Nicole Southey, sr. producers; Valentina Schwendinger, assistant producer; Julian Cave, art producer. BBH Dublin Amy Crowe, Amy Harrington; Hywel Evans, Daniel Olaifa, music supervisor. Production Company Iconoclast Alaska (Marco Lafer and Gustavo Moraes), director; Jean Mougin, exec producer; Emma Butterworth, line producer; Natalie Isaac, production manager; Arthur De Borman, production designer; Pierre De Kerchove, DP; Anarchy Ltd, costumes; Freddie Stopler, prosthetics make-up. Editorial Trim Editing Paul Hardcastle, editor; Josh Mannox, assistant editor. Postproduction Black Kite Studios Alex Lovejoy, VFX supervisor; Tom Mangham, colorist; James Hansell, 3D lead; George Brunt, compositing lead; Paul Branch, exec producer; Phil Whalley, sr. producer. Sound 750mph Sam Ashwell, sound engineer
NHS England, M&C Saatchi UK, Director Tom Tagholm Team On PSA Highlighting The Overlooked Signs Of A Stroke
National Health Service (NHS) England has unveiled a multichannel campaign, “Act FAST,” to raise awareness of the individual signs of a stroke and get people to call 999 as soon as they suspect they may be experiencing any one symptom. The push, which is part of the ongoing “Help Us, Help You” campaign, was developed in partnership with M&C Saatchi UK.
The campaign depicts everyday situations where everything might seem relatively normal, but where there’s the sign of someone experiencing a stroke.
A key component of the campaign is this :30--directed by Tom Tagholm of Various Films--which sets up the idea that initially, a stroke might not seem like much, highlighting key symptoms: from struggling to use a paint roller, to not being able to smile when watching TV, to slurring your speech when reading a story to your grandchild. The PSA emphasizes that time is critical, ending with the line: “Face or arm or speech, at the first sign, it’s time to call 999.”
Jo Bacon, Group CEO, M&C Saatchi UK, said, “We want to ensure people take action on the first symptom, rather than waiting for more conclusive signs. To help them understand that even when everything seems normal, something serious might be happening.”
Matt Lee, executive creative director, M&C Saatchi UK, commented: “This is important work. We wanted to explore that precise moment when your world shifts, quietly yet powerfully, off its axis during a stroke. We highlight how a tiny external moment can actually be seismic—an extraordinary gear change, framed in a really ordinary way.”
Director Tagholm shared, “My Dad suffered a stroke a few years ago and was saved from the worst by acting quickly, and by the work of the NHS. So there’s... Read More