It’s hard to imagine the faces of the Sainsbury’s marketing department, and their agency team at Wieden & Kennedy, when they logged onto the Campaign site on the morning of 4 September (as we assume they do every morning, religiously) to discover that those rascals at the newly renamed John Lewis & Partners and Waitrose & Partners had nicked their Christmas ad idea.
Unfortunately, the possibility that the similarities handicap Sainsbury’s efforts can’t be disregarded.
Put yourself in the head of someone who doesn’t think about advertising all day and it’s not hard to see how a TV viewer, half paying attention, might remember that nice rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody and assume the same brand had brought the same magic to New Radicals’ only hit, You Get What You Give.
However, I’m willing to bet that plenty will actually stay glued to the screen, because this is a gorgeous little film. It features a stirring rendition of a well-chosen track with an amazing performance from eight-year-old lead vocalist Tia Isaac and visual design spilling over with charm and humour. I invite you to get over yourself and shed a few tears. After the baffling cacophony that Sainsbury’s put out last year, this is a revelation.
Brand Sainsbury’s
Client Mark Given, marketing director
Title "The big night"
Agency Wieden & Kennedy
Director Michael Gracey
Production company Partizan
