Waitrose has today announced the launch of its ‘stripped back’ Christmas ad, with the money saved in the making of the campaign to be given to charity.
Set to air on TV for the first time tomorrow, Saturday 3 November, during a break in the X Factor, the ad features the strapline ‘Giving more this Christmas’.
Both Delia Smith and Heston Blumenthal have waived their fees for the ad, which shows the pair standing in an empty studio with only a three foot high perspex fixture and some green plastic tokens.
Rupert Thomas, Waitrose’s marketing director, said: “At what is a difficult time for many people across Britain, we feel that Christmas is the right time to give more back to good causes in the communities we serve.
“There are no snow machines, no festive glitter, just an echoey studio stripped bare of Christmas trimmings. By cutting back on our production costs we can channel an additional £1m to local good causes.”
The money saved will mean an extra £1m going to charity on top of the supermarket’s usual £600,000 donated through its Community Matters ‘green token’ scheme throughout November and December.