While most Christmas commercials are now sitting on repeat, social studio Wonderhood Makers has taken over Saatchi & Saatchi’s whodunnit for Waitrose, keeping The UK riveted to “who stole the Red Velvet Bauble Christmas dessert”, by unravelling the mystery in a series of little social films.
The first instalment, that set up the mystery, attracted more than three million organic views on Instagram and TikTok and a Kantar rating in the top 6% for “thumb-stopping power” and the top 7% for viewer enjoyment.
Sarah Hood, head of social at Waitrose, commented, “This year’s Christmas campaign has been a real step-change for us and we wanted to make sure we went bigger than ever on social. This is the first year we’ve had dedicated, social-first content around the Christmas ad, and to be able to bring in two of the nation’s most-loved detectives to help crack the case has been the perfect mix of fun and talkability.”.
Amy Downes, creative director at Wonderhood Makers, added. “It’s crucial for brands to meet consumers where they are, and to deliver assets that don’t feel like an afterthought. We are all thirsty for entertainment, and too often brands publish ATL cut-downs on their channels and call it a day. This amplification is proof that investment in talent, concept and execution shouldn’t be reserved for TV, VOD or OOH – and it’s definitely not wasted on social. Audiences deserve and devour quality content, regardless of the platform.”
If the idea wasn’t an attention magnet in itself (and it is), the campaign also features a line-up of UK stars that includes Martin Compston and Vicky McClure from Line of Duty and Matthew Macfadyen from Succesion, and a collection of hidden clues Easter eggs to turn viewers into detectives.
Here is where the campaign began:
