AdMiration feature: Sainsbury’s “BIG Christmas”

For this week’s AdMiration feature, we looked at consumer response to Sainsbury’s “BIG Christmas” ad. The ad is part of their 2024 Christmas campaign, which features a familiar character and showcases the festive Taste the Difference and Sainsbury’s ranges.

Read on to get our 3-2-1 snapshot of the ad (3 facts, 2 learnings and 1 reflection) and learn how their ad was received based on our data.

The ad opens to a shot of an ugly-looking vegetable (a snozzcumber) being placed on a cutting board. As a pair of hands holding a knife comes down and chops it in half with a large thud, a voice can be heard off camera saying, “Prawn coat-tails, beef welly-boot, wigs in blankets” as the chopping continues. 

The scene pans out to show a familiar giant character with big ears, the Big Friendly Giant (BFG), working inside a cave lined with rows of magical, glowing jars. He turns to the camera and says, “Hey Sainsbury’s, how can we make this Christmas a bit more…fizz-whizzing?” 

The scene changes to a close-up of a Sainsbury's name badge labeled 'Sophie,' who is outside in the Sainsbury's parking lot when she hears a big sneeze. As she turns towards the sound, BFG appears from behind a cloak, rubbing his nose. Sophie gasps, “Oh, BFG! I hear you need our help.” He outstretches his giant hand and responds, “As a matter of fact, I does.” 

The scene shifts to BFG jogging through neighborhoods, holding a bag with Sophie inside, who shouts, “We need salmon from Maisy!” They’re then shown by a house on the waters edge collecting the salmon, and as each food item is listed (brussel sprouts, cheese, etc), they're seen collecting them from all over. Once done, Sophie asks, “What now?” To which the BFG replies, “We makes it dreamy!” as he raises a glowing jar labeled “Phizzwizard” in his hand. 

All the food is then shown being arranged onto a large table and BFG starts to add his magical touches. With the Phizzwizard contents zipping around the table, viewers can see the latest Taste the Difference and Sainsbury’s dishes being highlighted — such as a roasted carrot galette, smoked salmon and maple terrine and a golden forest dessert. 

BFG offers Sophie some “Frobscottle” to drink in celebration, but she replies, “We need to find a home for all this first!” Both are then shown secretly delivering the delicious dishes to different households. 

The ad concludes with BFG and Sophie back in the Sainsbury’s lot, as a voiceover states, “Want to go big this Christmas? Ask Sainsbury’s.” As Sophie is dropped back off, she says, “Happy Christmas, BFG.” He replies with a smile, "Happy Christmas, Sophie.” She adjusts her nametag and walks away, as the Sainsbury’s logo appears on screen with a voiceover and the text: Good food for all of us. 

As somewhat of an “easter egg” a brief clip of a man on a beach is shown at the end investigating BFG’s footprint in the sand.

3 facts

• Sainsbury’s “BIG Christmas” ad is a holiday spectacular, scoring in the top 10% on both Sales (Sales Impact: 92) and equity (Brand Impact: 90) potential compared to all UK ads. This seasonal spot has double the “magic” — working well to drive not only short-term impact for the brand but also long-term equity, creating a more lasting impact! It has nearly universal appeal, working well across men and women and most age groups.

• The engaging and enjoyable story based on Roald Dahl’s’s BFG creates a strong emotional connection with viewers (Overall Emotion: 62% vs 43% norm), particularly evoking strong “Love” (41% vs 19% norm) and generating very high brand appeal for Sainsbury’s (Brand Appeal mean score: 3.9 vs. 3.7 norm).

• Sainsbury’s is the hero in this endearing Christmas story helping BFG and Sophie create a bigger and more “fizzwhizzy” holiday meals for families, which makes it highly distinctive and clearly stand out as a Sainsbury’s ad among a clutter of other ads (Unaided brand recall: 81% vs 72% norm).

2 learnings 

• The tone of the music makes the ad feel like a mini movie, lets the fairytale unfold and helps create an emotional connection with viewers. In this case, the Disney-esque music is well liked (Music Appeal: 4.1 vs 3.7 norm), conveys the whimsical, fairytale nature and helps amplify key moments in BFG’s and Sophie’s journey to make Christmas more magical for families. 

• Showing vs. telling the product benefits can be a very effective way to implicitly communicate higher order benefits about a brand that leads to strong purchase intent. Sainsbury’s “BIG Christmas” demonstrates the journey that BFG and Sophie must take to get high quality ingredients and the care that they take to make special, magical meals with very enticing food shots. This translates to strong perceptions of high quality, variety and perfect for holiday shopping and meals, generating a strong purchase uplift of 20% (significantly higher than the norm of 15%).

1 reflection

How can you use nostalgia to create a relevant and authentic experience for your brand? Nostalgia works really well for Christmas ads specifically - showing people celebrating the festivities, their traditions, family time etc. creates a mood that works effectively during this season. Sainsbury’s not only uses the nostalgia of holiday festivities, but they also use the beloved and whimsical Roald Dahl story of BFG and Sophie who go on a magical journey to create a “bigger and better” Christmas for families. They do this in a way that taps into the nostalgia of the holiday, film and characters, all while showcasing  the high quality and wide variety of Sainsbury’s food products that make a magical experience for family holidays. What a great way to create a strong emotional connection with viewers in a way that is authentic for the brand, leaving them with a strong affinity for Sainsbury’s.

Sainsbury’s “BIG Christmas” was directed by Sam Brown, with a voice over by Stephen Fry and soundtrack by renowned composer Alex Baranowski (recorded at Abbey Road with a 54-piece orchestra!). 

Inspired by Roald Dahl’s timeless story, the new Christmas advert features a real-life Sainsbury’s colleague (‘Sophie’) alongside the lovable character the BFG, who embark on a journey that showcases the delicious Taste the Difference and Sainsbury’s food offerings. 

The ad marks the second year of Sainsbury's commitment to provide 'Good food for all of us,' offering access to innovative and affordable, great-tasting food for every customer.

Emma Bisley, Head of Campaigns at Sainsbury’s, shares “The festive season is about making wonderful memories, and we’re here to help our customers create a truly unforgettable Christmas with family and friends, especially when it comes to food.”

She continues, “At Sainsbury’s, providing good food for all of us is at the heart of everything we do. We want to offer a diverse range of high-quality food products suitable for any occasion, whether customers are looking for new holiday delights or classic festive favorites, Sainsbury’s has something to satisfy every taste and budget through this year’s Christmas range. Collaborating with the Roald Dahl Story Company this year was a remarkable opportunity to tap into the nostalgia and heartwarming spirit that the BFG embodies and hope that this advert captures the nation’s hearts and fills them with joy.”

Natalie Hopkins, Director of Global Product and Partnerships at the Roald Dahl Story Company adds, “By collaborating with Sainsbury’s to bring Roald Dahl’s beloved BFG to life in a new story, we hope the nation is as captivated as we are to see two old friends back together this Christmas. The BFG is perfect for Sainsbury’s mission to create a Big Christmas for all. Having only snozzcumbers to devour in Giant Country, his curiosity for good food leads to an adventure of discovery and wonderment with Sainsbury’s Sophie in order to bring the magic of Christmas to everyone.”

The ad launched on Friday, November 1st and will be supported by a series of 60”, 30” and 20” films, each leading with the line, “Hey Sainsbury’s.”

The whimsical and nostalgic Sainsbury’s “BIG Christmas” ad is a true winner — scoring in the top 10% on both sales and brand equity potential! It has broad appeal across men and women and across most age groups.

This ad clearly stands out from the clutter and has a very strong connection to Sainsbury’s with 81% recalling this as a Sainsbury’s spot from a clutter of other ads (significantly higher than the norm of 72%). Why is this so strong? Sainsbury’s plays the hero in the ad, bringing fresh and delicious meals to the families Christmas dinners thanks to the help of BFG and Sophie, as well as a few of their friends. 

The use of many distinctive assets for Sainbury’s (the uniform, logo/sign/store, staff/worker, orange color as well as BFG and Sophie) also work effectively to convey the brand being advertised. Viewers also appreciate the authenticity of this spot and how it fits so well with Sainsbury’s.

The unique, nostalgic and whimsical BFG Christmas story make the ad highly distinctive (Ad Distinctiveness mean score: 3.8 significantly higher than the norm of 3.6) and help it stand out from the clutter.  

The style is highly enjoyable and creates strong emotional engagement (Overall Emotion: 62% vs 43% norm), especially “love”, with viewers which generates strong brand appeal for Sainsbury’s.

Likes further reflect the many elements that work well for this spot. Viewers particularly like the story (and that it’s natural), the nostalgia of the film, whimsical nature, Christmas theme, the characters (BFG, Sophie, different families featured), the emotional connection (fun and different, gave them a warm feeling, made them feel happy and/or looking forward to Christmas) as well as the products from Sainsbury’s.

Here’s what people had to say:

• “BFG has an amazing food line up at the end that makes you ready to plan for your Christmas food. Music was also relevant. I think Sainsbury's has nailed it this year for the time and effort put into this advert. I am extremely impressed."

• "I like the whimsical theme and how it used BFG in the ad. It fits the Christmas/holiday theme in a magical way. I liked the ending as it incorporated the Sainsbury's logo in a way that felt natural. I also liked the dialogue between BFG and Sophie."

• "I enjoyed the fun nature of the ad. The giant featured in the ad is particularly appealing to watch. Seeing him go to that length to get fresh products to prepare the meal with is appealing."

• "I enjoyed that it had the BFG in it and it was a bit nostalgic. With him using all the words only he can come out with."

• "I like that it features the BFG, as my daughter and I have fond memories of the BFG books and films."

• "I liked the BFG being in the ad. The different families in it. The colors and music in the background makes it festive."

• "It was unusual and interesting to watch how the story unfolds."

• "The music, the theme, the plot of the story, the way it came across."

• "BFG, music, characters and it gave me a warm feeling."

• "Happy feeling, good feeling that made me look forward to Christmas."

• "Bringing people together, it made me happy."

BFG and Sophie take viewers on an emotional journey of likes, love and a bit of laughter throughout their journey to make this Christmas a bit more “fizzwhizzy” with Sainsbury’s help. They embark on a journey to gather all of the delicious ingredients and magically transform them into a delicious Christmas dinner with appetizers, a main meal and delectable desserts. The Disney film-like music works perfectly with the story and helps generate a warm, emotional response with strong musical appeal (Music Appeal mean score: 4.1, significantly higher than the norm of 3.7). 

The peak emotional moments occur when:

• Sophie and BFG first interact (after he sneezes due to the snowflakes going up his “snoggler”) outside the Sainsbury’s store (peak likes)

• BFG hangs the brussel sprouts from his ears like earrings (peak laughter)

• The young toddler sees BFG put the scrumptious holiday dinner on the family table and gives her the signal to “shhh / don’t tell anyone”(peak love)

What’s impressive about this Christmas spot is that it not only resonates emotionally with people, but it implicitly demonstrates that Sainsbury’s has good quality food, makes Christmas magical and is the best place to shop for Christmas food. 

This ladders up to three-fifths of people (top 2 box) perceiving Sainsbury’s to “provide high-quality fresh produce” and “offers a wide variety of products” and half of them stating that Sainsbury’s is “perfect for holiday shopping and meals” (top 2 box). 

These messages are very timely with the upcoming holiday season. They meet people’s needs (Brand Meets Needs mean score: 4.0, significantly higher than the norm of 3.8) and are highly relevant (Relevance mean score 3.6, significantly higher than the norm of 3.3), resulting in incredibly strong purchase uplift for Sainsbury’s.

Sainsbury’s “BIG Christmas” is a great idea and the execution brilliantly ties into the nostalgic BFG film to take viewers on a whimsical journey of transforming Christmas dinner for families to make them bigger and more “fizzwhizzy.” It does this in a way that highlights the brand, its high quality and variety of products and the experience that they bring to the table, all in a very emotionally engaging way. This is all brought to life through the power of a magical story, beloved characters and Disney-esque music that evoke strong “love”and appeal for the brand at a joyous time of year.

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