Family life is a big theme this Christmas. Tesco has joined the pack. It’s campaign, That’s What Makes It Christmas, by BBH London, gets real about the festive season most commonly framed as a series of picture-perfect, wholesome moments. Because if you talk to most people, their festive period is full of funny, chaotic, unscripted moments, without which, it simply wouldn’t be Christmas.

Tesco’s That’s What Makes It Christmas campaign is structured as a series of standalone films (in 10-, 20- and 30-second formats). Each film introduces a different family and a different narrative, united by the central theme of celebrating the weird and wonderful moments where real festivity is found, and ensuring the campaign helps the whole country feel seen this holiday season.

The series of vignettes show a range of all too familiar scenarios – colleagues musing over what to buy that person from the office they barely know for Secret Santa, a fridge stuffed full of delicious treats, that you are not allowed to touch until Christmas day, or making sure you get that essential bag of Christmas nuts. Does anyone actually eat them? Who knows, but it simply isn’t Christmas without them! Other narratives include family boardgames that get serious competitive, awkward chats with the neighbours you don’t really know and heading back home up north only to be teased about your southern twang.

The series of vignettes show a range of all too familiar scenarios – colleagues musing over what to buy that person from the office they barely know for Secret Santa, a fridge stuffed full of delicious treats, that you are not allowed to touch until Christmas day, or making sure you get that essential bag of Christmas nuts. Eaten or not (possibly not), it simply isn’t Christmas without them. Other narratives include family boardgames that get serious competitive, awkward chats with the neighbours you don’t really know and heading back home up north only to be teased about your southern twang.

The campaign highlights how Tesco shows up for customers over the festive season, whether it’s for the abundant main meal, snacky bits for when guests nip over, to party food for the office get together. It launched on Tesco social media channels and via email to Clubcard members, before it went to air on TV in the UK.

Becky Brock, Tesco group customer director, stated, “At Tesco, we know that Christmas isn’t just about the picture-perfect moments, it’s about everything perfectly imperfect that happens around them too – that’s where the real magic is. With ‘That’s what makes it Christmas,’ we want to celebrate the wonderfully relatable chaos that fills homes across the UK. Tesco shows up for customers across the festive season in so many ways and we hope that the campaign resonates with the nation and Tesco helps everyone celebrate what makes it Christmas for them this year.”

Felipe Serradourada Guimaraes, executive creative director at BBH, added, “At BBH we say we haven’t had a truly great creative year until we’ve delivered a great Tesco Christmas campaign. This year, we’re reframing and revelling in the reality that Christmas isn’t made by those picture-perfect, frameable moments. It’s during the messy, weird and unscripted chaos where the Christmas spirit really kicks in, and that felt like a different take on the festive season.” 

The films were directed by Jeff Low and produced by Biscuit Filmworks, with the campaign scored by the track, Holly Jolly Christmas, and narration from comedian John Bishop.

Jeff Low added,“The creative team at BBH had a good idea. The sort of idea you think, “has nobody done this before?”  I filmed that idea as faithfully as I could and I think it worked out pretty well because I didn’t get cute about it. I honestly just tried to craft a story that conveys that initial idea.” 

For the first time, customers will be able to tap into the creative elements of the campaign through products in-store in the form of hand-drawn Christmas cards by the estate of Robin Shaw depicting  familiar chaotic Christmas scenes for a tongue in cheek way to send season’s greetings to loved ones, and F&F Christmas jumpersdesigned to answer inevitable awkward family questions (e.g., “Yes, I’m still single”). These will be available to buy in selected Tesco stores later this month.  

The campaign aims to ignite a national conversation around everyone’s perfectly imperfect festive experiences. Across the plan, and with media led by EssenceMediacom, partnerships have been crafted to ignite and facilitate a cultural conversation around everyone’s That’s What Makes it Christmas moments. This includes a partnership with Channel 4’s Gogglebox, where the nation’s favourite television commentators will discuss the ads, and talk about their own unique ‘That’s What Makes it Christmas’ moments.  

The full campaign covers AV, audio, press, OOH, digital and social, including buses wrapped in paper that has run out (a Christmas classic), a Metro cover wrap Bingo card for ticking off chaotic Christmas moments and petrol pumps delivering tailored messages to those on their journey home for Christmas.