Tesco has launched its Christmas spot ‘Become More Christmas’ which sees people turn into festive favourites such as Christmas trees and Christmas puddings.

Created by BBH the spot sees the supermarket truly embracing the Christmas spirit, with characters literally becoming festive beings.

The hero film sees individuals turning into decorated trees, snowmen, and Christmas puddings. Aligning with the humorous tone of many of 2023’s festive ads, BBH and Tesco created a playful campaign with lots of heart.

Premiering on the 19th of November, the TV ad emphasises the joy in the run up to the big day. Based on an insight from Tesco’s 2023 Christmas Report that a third of adults in the UK find the lead up to Christmas more exciting than Christmas Day itself. The campaign celebrates the unifying power of this festive build up.

Opening with a father and son visit to a Tesco store, audiences see the first glimpse of the joy of Christmas. A stand giving out samples of festive food glows with the golden haze of Christmas tree lights. Before the panettone slice even touches his lips, the dad becomes a Christmas tree as soon as he experiences his first taste of the season.

Embarrassed, the teenage son rolls his eyes and walks on. Back at home, his mother, who couldn’t resist buying mince pies, even if it is ‘a bit early’, transforms into a ‘snowmum’. She’s literally getting into the festive spirit.

As it gets closer to the big day, we see even more people ‘become more Christmas’. From the festive snow globe party-goer to the gingerbread-legged Tesco delivery driver - everyone is embracing the season. At the same time, the reluctant son is slowly warming up to the same spirit. He even grows a couple of Christmas tree branches himself.

Not quite as excited as his parents, the son even turns off the Christmas music in his dad’s car. After the reindeer checkout worker scans the family’s shopping, the Christmas tree dad grows his final touch - a star-shaped topper. In the car ride home, a touching father-son moment occurs. His dad hands the boy a star decoration he made as a child, and the joy of Christmas takes hold. One minute a boy, the next, a Christmas tree adorning his childhood decoration.

In a last moment of comedic weirdness, the duo witness their rather red-faced Christmas pudding neighbour dragging his own tree inside. Then the film ends, with the main family hosting a Christmas feast and Tesco’s seasonal tagline, ‘Helping you become more Christmas.’

At the heart of the campaign, is the idea of embracing the lead up to Christmas Day. The work aims to capture the excitement that builds during the festive season. In doing so, it highlights the huge role that food has in bringing that Christmas feeling. Be it a mince pie, a panettone, or a cheese board, familiar festive flavours can help kick-start Christmas excitement - which, for 31% of UK adults, is the best part.

BBH and Tesco centre getting into the Christmas spirit, whether that’s a ‘bit early’, or right a tad delayed. Felipe Serradourada Guimaraes, deputy executive creative director of BBH, explains:  “Christmas is a strange time. But whether you love it from the minute Halloween ends, or the hour before Christmas dinner, the one thing we know is true, is that eventually everyone gets into it”.

He continues, “It's infectious. That's what we brought to life, in all its joyfully wonderful, and ridiculous, Christmas glory. Enjoy (with a side of mince pie)”. The sentiment is aptly captured by the film’s soundtrack, ‘How Bizarre’ by OMC.

Alaska directed the hero film through Iconoclast, and EssenceMediaCom handled the media.

By focusing on the period before the big day, the campaign emphasises the joy of the whole season. Often, Christmas can feel like a huge build up for a day that goes by pretty quickly. So, in highlighting the rest of the festive period, Tesco and BBH encourage consumers to relax and take Christmas slower, embracing all the season’s small joys. Emphasising the role that food plays in these quieter moments, the supermarket claims its place as a supplier of little bursts of Christmas joy.

The campaign ties into the trend of comfort marketing in the wake of a difficult year. It also reflects a more unexpected and enjoyable trend also evidenced by John Lewis, choosing a Venus fly trap for its festive mascot: the enduring power of a weird creative idea.