Tapping into the festivities with joy and nostalgia, Tesco’s emotional Christmas campaign, ‘Helping Feed Your Festive Spirit’, explores the complex feelings the festive period can conjure up.

The campaign, created by BBH London, champions community and togetherness, exploring how people can top up or feed their Christmas spirit. The film was produced by Iconoclast and Alaska and is set to the soundtrack of ‘On Melancholy Hill’ by Gorillaz.

The emotive campaign follows the story of Gary who has a complex relationship with the festive season. The spot opens with Gary being gifted a pack of Tesco Gingerbread Men from his grandfather. The gift raises his Christmas spirit and subsequently, the world around him explodes with Christmas joy. A nearby scooter transforms into a gingerbread box, candy canes grow from the ground while a Tesco till turns into gingerbread, complete with a gingerbread receipt. On his journey home, the market square explodes with gingerbread as icing sugar snow and gingerbread snowflakes fall.

However, the festive period can prove to be a time of reflection and nostalgia for many. Gary begins to think about the absence of his Grandmother and his Christmas spirit dips. Audiences grow to learn that gingerbread is a family tradition for Gary and memories of him building a gingerbread house with his Grandmother are bittersweet.

The spot closes with Gary and his Grandfather coming together to revitalise the tradition and find comfort and nostalgia in their home-made gingerbread tradition. The biscuits take pride of place on the Christmas table, laden with a variety of Tesco treats including a golden turkey, roast potatoes and pigs in blankets. As everyone sits down to enjoy the Christmas meal, their Christmas spirit peaks and the exterior of the house transforms into gingerbread.

The film underlines that Christmas spirit is something that needs to be nurtured and looked after in the face of life’s ups and downs. The holidays can be a difficult time for many and Tesco acknowledges the importance of connecting with loved ones over food and drink.

“We appreciate that even if you love Christmas, there can be little things that eat away at your Christmas spirit as well as things that help to feed it. We’re here to top up your Christmas spirit wherever we can,” says Becky Brock, Tesco’s Group Customer Director.

The campaign is comprised of a three-minute film airing across cinema, digital, and social platforms, with additional edits designed for TV, out-of-home (OOH) placements, and print media across the UK, ROI, and Central Europe.

As part of the campaign, Tesco is helping shoppers feed their spirit with a range of gingerbread products ready to be enjoyed or baked at home. And to grow the Christmas spirit even more, 10p from every sale of gingerbread will be donated to Trussell and FareShare, to help provide access to food for people in the community who need our help.

With quiet joy, the campaign champions tradition and comfort while acknowledging that the festive season can sometimes be difficult. By embracing comfort and community, Tesco feeds the festive spirit.