UK grocery chain Tesco put together quite an elaborate TV commercial for the Christmas season. It’s called “Nothing’s Stopping Us.” Take a look at the 90-second ad below, then scroll down for more info…
The Music. A perfect fit for this ad, they chose Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now.” Listen to the full track here.
The Creators. The ad was created by Bartle Bogle Hegarty Ad Agency. They’re based in London, England. Check out their website here.
The drama. According to this article, folks in the UK took issue with Santa showing his medical status in order to board a flight. Why he would need to this when he has a sleigh is not really addressed but I guess a few kudos can be given for slipping in a timely message about coronavirus in an ad about grocery stores.
Mixed Messages. I might be riffing now but… is it contradictory to title your ad “Nothing’s Stopping Us” (meaning that nothing will get in the way of celebrating Christmas this year) whilst implying Santa (and everyone else) can’t fly unless they have a vaccine passport? Because that definitely implies that without the vaccine, your plans will definitely be stopped. Hmm.
Alternates. There are a few other uploads of the commercial. On YouTube you can see their ad with British Sign Language, or with an audio description of the scenes.
Final thoughts. Conundrums aside, I love the effort put into this ad. For one that only airs around Christmas time, they certainly didn’t hold anything back and the quality shows. Lots of great production value and nice editing, too. Plus, using Queen is almost always a win.
How do you feel about the ad? Chime in below!
-Out of the Wilderness
Out of the Wilderness 