Asda Embraces the Powerful Combination of Value and Quality in its Bublé-fronted Christmas Advertisement
Asda's highly-anticipated Christmas ad, featuring the charming Michael Bublé, delivers a powerful combination of value and quality that is sure to pack a festive punch Don't miss the full ad on TV tonight!
Asda won no shortage of plaudits for its 2022 Christmas campaign, which saw Will Ferrell’s character, Buddy, from the movie Elf superimposed into Asda stores.
Despite the positive reception, Asda faced limitations due to limited store space. This year, it became crucial for the team to bring singer Michael Bublé into their stores and engage him in a genuine interaction with Asda products.
Havas London, in collaboration with Oscar-winning director Taika Waititi, created an ad featuring Bublé evaluating and savoring Christmas foods. The primary message conveyed is Asda's commitment to offering value without compromising on quality.
Bublé, known for his association with festive songs, makes his debut in Asda's Christmas ad as the company's inaugural Chief Quality Officer. The full ad, set to air on 4 November during The Voice on ITV, showcases Bublé taste testing different pigs in blankets flavors. Dismissing the maple-covered sample as "so last year", Bublé pays homage to last year's campaign and the sweet flavors enjoyed by Buddy the Elf. As part of the campaign, social media and other executions of the ad will use the hashtag #AsdaXmasBublé.
Asda’s chief customer officer, David Hills, who joined the company in September, emphasizes the significance of solidifying the value proposition that aligns with the priorities of Asda's customer base in 2023. Highlighting the presence of quality credentials, value, and the Asda price, Hills anticipates a successful Christmas season once these factors resonate with customers. Additionally, Asda has made a substantial investment of over £100m in price, introducing approximately 270 new product lines to stores for the holiday season.
When you combine the price credentials with the quality credentials, you instantly create a value equation that surpasses the competition. David Hills, Asda's chief customer officer
He argues that although value is subjective, there are certain factors that everyone considers when deciding where to shop during the Christmas season. While acknowledging that many retailers are competing in the same market, he believes Asda can successfully offer value without solely focusing on price.
"The definition of value may vary between middle-class and working-class shoppers, but both groups still prioritize value. If we can combine affordable prices with high quality, then we can provide a value proposition that surpasses our competitors," he explains.
Vicki Maguire, the chief creative officer at Havas London, explains that Asda needed to redefine the concept of 'value' in order to effectively convey their message. Instead of sacrificing quality to save money, Asda wants to emphasize that consumers don't have to compromise on the brands they love, the food they enjoy, or the taste and pleasure it brings to them and their families.
The campaign spans across various media channels including television, print, outdoor advertising, digital platforms, social media, customer relationship management, and in-store promotions. It also includes features in Asda Radio and Asda Magazine. These promotional materials prominently showcase Asda's range of food products, highlighting the quality that is available to customers.
In order to ensure authenticity and the effectiveness of the message around quality, she argues that Michael Bublé should not simply be a "rent-a-celeb", but actively participate in the ad's creation. If this aspect had not been handled correctly, consumers would have detected the lack of authenticity, and the message of quality would not have been successful.
This year, several supermarket retailers have launched ads earlier than usual. Asda's teaser ad, in fact, went live on the morning of November 1st. Maguire believes Asda is starting "days early, not weeks early" and considers it important to start preparing consumers and accommodating their desire to spread out Christmas expenses over a longer period this year.
Hills supports this idea, stating that it is crucial to start strong because customers are currently facing a cost of living crisis. This is why they believe that offering high quality products at excellent prices will be well-received.
Asda is currently in the process of transforming its marketing strategy, with Hills taking on the role in September. In October, the supermarket announced the appointment of Adam Zavalis, formerly the marketing director of Aldi, as the vice-president of marketing under Hills' supervision. This emphasis on value is not limited to the Christmas campaign, as Asda aims to compete against both discount stores and traditional supermarkets.
