Asda unveils 'biggest ever' Christmas campaign

The Saatchi & Saatchi created campaign - its biggest ever in terms of the number of channels used, the retailer says - launches this weekend (4 October) during the X-Factor with a TV advert depicting the challenges mums experience organising Christmas day for the family. Watch it below.

It features scenes based on what Asda says is “real insight from real families”, from struggling to get the tree into the car to debating the best toys for the kids. The ad uses real colleagues and the leading lady is an Asda shopper.

The ad is soundtracked by Christmas carol Silent Night and is sped up to reflect the excitement of Christmas day before slowing down towards the end as the family settle around the TV in the evening.

The supermarket used insight from its rolling ‘Mumdex’ survey of 4,000 mums to produce the advert as part of a wider strategy to reshape its business around what it identifies its key customers, mums.

The company says the approach was taken to stand out from “the perfect, idealistic and unattainable Christmas” often portrayed over the festive season.

Stephen Smith, chief marketing officer at Asda, adds: “Nothing made it into the ad, unless it was real insight from real experiences. We have spoken to thousands of Asda mums about what Christmas means to them. They told us that Christmas doesn’t just happen by magic. A lot rests on their shoulders; with people to feed, gifts to buy, and families to keep happy, it can be a very busy time but the experiences they have along the way are priceless. Despite the pressure, their big reward is looking back at the end of Christmas day, at a happy and smiling family, and thinking “I did that.”

The TV spot will be supported by tactical ads to promote the supermarket’s “Click & Collect” service and also its partnership with Leiths School of Food and Wine.

Read a Q&A with Asda CMO Stephen Smith here