Tesco Driver Careens Through History Delivering Groceries in Centennial Holiday Ad

  Rassegna Stampa, Social
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A shared love of holiday treats transcends the bounds of the space and time—quite literally—in a new Tesco holiday ad with a sci-fi twist.

The 90-second spot follows a delivery truck driver who finds himself hurtling through various decades of British history via a series of time warps, placating the shocked inhabitants of each era with holiday sweets along the way. Created by BBH London, the ad is part of the U.K.-based supermarket chain’s 100th anniversary celebration.

The space-time chaos starts when the driver’s vehicle lurches into a Victorian street scene in a burst of otherworldly energy. “What the Dickens?” the man gasps, as children in newsboy caps marvel at the “food from the future.”

From there, he lurches through historical landmarks and random holiday parties of various eras, including cameos by Winston Churchill in the window of No. 10 Downing Street, a young Queen Elizabeth sitting for a portrait in Buckingham Palace, and the set of the 1980s game show Bullseye.

Groceries dispensed along the way include cakes, mince pies, cheese spreads and other celebratory fare set to “Sleigh Ride” by the Ronettes. The ad ends with the driver comfortably settled back in the current era, in time to enjoy a holiday feast with his family.

The campaign will span channels including television, digital, out-of-home and experiential, as well as novel tech features like a Snapchat augmented reality lens and a Facebook arcade game where users can play as the delivery truck driver.

Tesco has been celebrating its centennial birthday all year with campaigns that brought back iconic figures from U.K. television, including the children’s characters Mr. Blobby and Morph, and sportscaster Des Lynam.

“Because it is our centenary, this year is all about celebrating 100 years of great value and delivering Christmas; that is at the core of our campaign,” Tesco chief customer officer Alessandra Bellini said at a press event introducing the ad, per Marketing Week.

https://www.adweek.com/digital/tesco-centennial-holiday-ad-driver-careens-through-history/