Campaign Review: Christmas campaigns from Aldi, Coles & Woolies
In Campaign Review, Mumbrella invites the industry’s creatives and strategists to offer their views on recent ad campaigns. This week: a special Christmas Campaign Review sees FutureBrand's Richard Curtis and AnalogFolk's Richard Morgan review the 2021 Christmas campaigns from Aldi, Coles and Woolworths.
Brand: Aldi
Campaign: ‘You Can’t Overcook Christmas‘
Agency: BMF
The verdict: It’s good, it’s different
Richard Curtis, CEO at FutureBrand, says:
This is an ad that feels like it was created to get people to switch from Coles and Woolies to Aldi. By being (good) different. And, if I was already an Aldi customer, I would feel vindicated for having made the switch.
What’s more, it grows on you – or at least it’s growing on me. The first time I saw the ad, I thought it was plain weird and simply dismissed it. But the more I see it, the more I like it. Plus, I have a curious feeling that it will never grow old and tired, however many times I’m likely to see it over the Christmas season.
If I was already a Coles or a Woolies customer seeing this ad, I might not change my regular choice of supermarket. But, er, I might try Aldi, just to try something different. Just for a change. Why not? Who knows? I might even like it.
Rating: 10 out of 10 for new customer acquisition; n/a for customer retention (because the store experience, product quality, pricing strategy etc. do that)
Richard Morgan, executive creative director at AnalogFolk, says:
Christmas is a time for generosity, not Grinches. So in that spirit, let’s see what Santa’s advertisers have under the tree…
I love the line on this one ‘You can’t overcook Christmas.’ I think this is a truism: there can never be too much tinsel, too many chipped ornaments on the dangerously-over leaning Xmas tree, too many beautifully (or amateurishly) wrapped presents, too much red wine in the gravy (maybe that’s just me), too many fairy lights staple gunned to the roof, too many odd rellies tipping up to lunch or too many re-re-run Christmas movies.
The only way to fail at Christmas is by failing to embrace it. So in a world and a year that has desperately lacked magic, encouraging people to go all out and embrace their inner Christmas fruitcake is a great way in. It’s an idea that is very customer-centric, rather than brand-centric, which I like, though cleverly for the brand it obviously all ladders back to people buying more stuff.
Personally, I love the line and I like the execution. Judging from people’s reactions to this spot that I’ve seen, opinions similarly fall into two almost unusually distinct camps. Some clearly love the simplicity of the spot’s structure and just ‘go with’ the great track; feeling this is a modern and contemporary way of delivering the idea without saddling it under the weight of a Christmas story. Which I partly agree with. The other camp feels that perhaps there could have been a little more layered and that finding the right story could elevate ALDI’s already strong legacy of Xmas spots to new heights. That’s where my heart is.
Either way, I think the overarching theme is so strong they could execute it again in a different way; so perhaps that itch of curiosity can be scratched next year. The hero shot of the spot for me is the last one; laser lights emanating from a mild-mannered suburban house at dusk made me laugh. At the end of the day, laughter and feeling good is what Christmas is all about.
Rating: 8/10
Brand: Coles
Campaign: ‘Value the Australian Way‘
Agency: DDB Group
The verdict: Nostalgic but similar to Woolworths
Curtis says:
This is an ad with all the ingredients for a Coles Christmas. And it’s another good ad. Although it does feel far too familiar to be a distinctive ad.
Elbow touches. Dessert. Trampolines. Kids. Delivery. Toilet paper. Christmas party. Red. Delivery person. Healthcare workers. Charity. Another delivery person. Dinner table. Christmas bonbon. Video call.
If I was already a Coles customer, I’d correctly attribute this ad to the brand, I’d likely recognise myself in this ad, and I’m sure I would feel positively disposed towards my regular choice of supermarket. I’d stick with my choice and feel good about it at this time of year when I’m likely to spend more than normal on food and entertaining.
Rating: 10 out of 10 for customer retention; 0/10 for new customer acquisition (unless you count a few confused Woolworths customers)
Morgan says:
As a kid who grew up in Adelaide, Christmas for us was truly synonymous with summer. Sure we all saw books and movies full of snow, chimneys, warm mittens and the North Pole far away, but that was where it lived; in a storybook. Ours was all about the seemingly endless Christmas holidays, playing in the yard, jumping in the pool and long hot evenings with the sound of crickets chirping in the air.
Out of all the spots being reviewed here, this one reflects that uniquely Aussie and warmly nostalgic theme the most. Summer, family, food, laughter and connection – with a generous dash of COVID thrown in – is what this is all about. The research findings that accompany this campaign talk about people’s attitude to Christmas and how it has changed, which is also interesting and no doubt drives many of the scenes we see in the spot.
Whilst they are not revelations and there are some inevitable commonalities with the Woolies ad, I do think that the scene showing a table place set for someone who is ‘Zooming’ lunch is strong. It helps to reassure and normalise what is undoubtedly going to be a reality for many people, including our family this year.
The Neil Diamond song reimagined and rescored is poignant. Part of me wishes they’d let the original song’s irresistibly toe-tapping beat really kick in towards the end rather than hold it back. Either way this spot is the Christmas child of a brand whose mission is to keep prices down, down, down and lift our spirits up, up and up.
Rating: 7/10
Brand: Woolworths
Campaign: ‘Today’s Fresh Food People’
Agency: M&C Saatchi
The verdict: Very green but similar to Coles
Curtis says:
This is an ad with all the ingredients for a Woolies Christmas. And it’s a good ad. Although it does feel far too familiar to be a distinctive ad.
Christmas tree. Green. Delivery person. Video call. Ham. Decorations. Delivery. Charity. Santa letter. Dinner table. Christmas presents. Happily sleeping child. COVIDSafe logo.
If I was already a Woolworths customer, I’d correctly attribute this ad to the brand, I’d likely recognise myself in this ad, and I’m sure I would feel positively disposed towards my regular choice of supermarket. I’d stick with my choice and feel good about it at this time of year when I’m likely to spend more than normal on food and entertaining.
Rating: 10 out of 10 for customer retention; 0/10 for new customer acquisition (unless you count a few confused Coles customers)
Morgan says:
The first time I saw this spot I was on the bus. I had no headphones, yet I was curious to see it, so I just clicked the link and watched with no sound. I immediately admired the simplicity of the use of green, cleverly woven across a range of elegantly framed classic festive scenes. Some of these vignettes have real personality and charm.
It struck me that just embracing the use of green as a recurring brand motif and owning that is quite a clever and simple creative device. It is in fact so beguilingly simple – and let’s face it, an already well-used brand asset – that to the inexperienced eye, the idea risks being passed over as too subtle. But the creators didn’t miss it, and it works. When I re-watched the spot in the office later and realised it had a voiceover, it momentarily took me aback. Probably as I had ‘seen it’ without and simply assumed there was none; assuming there was just a great song underneath and likely an end tag.
Suddenly the spot felt a little intrusive, like a little of the magic had flown away; blurring an otherwise simple story. That said I can imagine this idea working its Christmas socks off in visual mediums such as outdoor – so I do think Woolies have tapped into something strong here.
Like Coles, we see the brand’s charity initiative, in this case Ozharvest, which rightly fits with the theme of Xmas generosity. Going forward, a good painter knows that green is a particularly delicate colour. Accidently mix your brush with other paints or unnecessary elements and it very quickly turns into other unwelcome hues. So if possible, keep it pure and allow the story to be driven by its strongest elements. Or in this case, elves.
Rating: 7/10
As told to Anna Macdonald. If you’re a senior creative or strategist who would like to take part in a future Campaign Review, please email amacdonald@mumbrella.com.au.
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