CHRISTMAS is all about the food, and that’s what Waitrose is celebrating in its new festive ad campaign.
The 60-second advert highlights the time and effort farmers and producers put in to every Christmas product – all year round.
The Waitrose advert starts with a Christmas reef being taken off a front door, fairy lights being switched off and a fir tree being dumped in a dustbin.
Next, we see a calendar as someone tears off the final page of the year, revealing January 1 – a new year has begun.
But, while households are putting away their decorations, hardworking farmers and producers are beginning their preparations.
We see a montage of people at work, from a pork farmer smashing through an iced-over drinking trough, and sunburnt farmers working through summer to get their crops ready.
Next we’re in a forest glen and see free range turkeys roaming around the forest floor.
Back in winter, farmer opens the door of his shed revealing the snowy courtyard.
At the end of the ad, a Waitrose driver delivers a crate of Christmas food to a home.
We see a wreath on the front door mirroring that of the opening scene – it’s clearly Christmas again.
Inside, the table is set – the turkey is put down and we see pigs in blankets being passed around.
But for one little boy, disaster strikes when the final pig in blanket is taken from the serving dish.
He bursts into tears until his big sister offers him her pig in blanket, which he happily accepts, and starts smiling again.
It ends by saying: “It’s the care we put in that makes Christmas this special.”
The ad is set to Bing Crosby’s It’s Beginning to look a lot like Christmas and was directed by Academy Award-nominated director Henry-Alex Rubin.
The cast was made up of real-life Waitrose suppliers and partners.
Emma Isaac, head of marketing at Waitrose said: “Christmas is a very special period, and we don’t often talk about the time and effort our Waitrose Partners and our many farmers, growers and producers spend making the day magical for our customers.”
Last year’s Waitrose ad featured actress Ashley Jensen and top chef Heston Blumenthal.
It was the first time in two years that Waitrose, which is part of John Lewis, has had its own advertising campaign.
Waitrose’s release has followed a flurry of Christmas adverts unveiled in the last couple of weeks.
M&S kicked off its campaign with one from comedy duo French and Saunders, whereas the Sainsbury’s ad features This Morning’s Alison Hammond.
The much-anticipated advert from John Lewis was released and it melted hearts by highlighting the plight of vulnerable children.
It explores the foster system and seeks to raise awareness about those in care across the UK.
Meanwhile, McDonald’s, like John Lewis and Aldi, advert toned down its Xmas advert amid the cost of living crisis.
The fast food giant’s latest ad features Alfie, a little boy overlooking a father and daughter playing together on a bike – reminding viewers of the “little moments” this Christmas.
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