ALDI unveils the miracle ham in new ‘The More The Merrier’ 2019 Christmas campaign via BMF Sydney
The Ham. It’s a Christmas classic that keeps on giving. It brings the whole family together during the festive season, feeds a small army on Christmas Day and all of the cricket watchers on Boxing Day.
This year, the much-anticipated ALDI Christmas campaign, developed by BMF Sydney, tells a magical tale of generosity and togetherness.
Through the eyes of a resilient old lady, an Aussie town full of fantastical characters come together to share a Christmas miracle.
Says Dantie van der Merwe and David Fraser, creative directors, BMF: “Ham is often the main event at Christmas lunch. And, in the week after, every time you open the fridge there seems to be ham leftovers staring back at you. A pork prodigy felt like the right blend of truth and fiction for this year’s More the Merrier Christmas story.”
Says Aisling Colley, group account director, BMF: “Our long-standing creative platform ‘The More the Merrier’ is the perfect expression of generosity at Christmas, and enables us to show Aussies they don’t have to compromise at this time of year. It perfectly captures the Australian spirit (and the effect of a magical ham), whilst demonstrating ALDI’s promise to Aussies at this festive time of year – a surprising range of exceptional products, at the lowest possible prices.”
The integrated campaign will launch on Sunday, with the hero brand film running on TV and longer formats running online, supported by radio, OOH, catalogue, in store POS, website and social.
The campaign will also live across a series of retail Christmas ads showcasing ALDI’s great prices across its quality range of Christmas products and further proving that – at ALDI – generosity has no bounds.
Creative Agency: BMF
Executive Creative Director: Alex Derwin
Creative Directors: David Fraser and Dantie Van Der Merwe
Art Director: Sammy Hall
Copywriter: Stephanie Allen
Executive Planning Director: Christina Aventi
Group Strategy Director: Kinga Papp
Planner: Kellie Box
Designer: Matthew Hughes
Managing Director: Steve McArdle
General Manager: Paul Coles
Group Account Director: Aisling Colley
Senior Account Manager: James Arnold
Account Executive: Maddison Bailey
Agency Producer (Head of TV): Jenny Lee-Archer
Production Company: Good Oil
Director: Hamish Rothwell
Executive Producer: Juliet Bishop
Producer: Andrew McLean
DOP: Marty Williams
Editor: Pete Scibberas @ ARC Edit
Post Production: ALT.VFX
Production Design: Guy Treadgold
Sound: Rumble Studios
Music: Elliott Wheeler – Turning Studios
Composers: Elliott Wheeler, Jamieson Shaw and Hamish Rothwell
Art Buyer: Basir Salleh
Photographer: Peter Whyte
Illustration: Evie Hilliar
Retouching: Rhiannon Jansma
96 Comments
Aldi does it again.
i want my vibe back
Love.
Love it…..but it won’t make me shop at Aldi.
Your loss bro… hahahaha
Get over yourselves.
Tent pitched
Love the work. Love ALDI. Love this Christmas ham.
Continually creating Christmas campaigns that are both highly entertaining and creative, seems like a great business philausophy to me. Well done ALDI, again.
Lamb anyone?
So so good
Well done.
BMF & Hamish you’ve done it again.
Bringing a little Christmas Craft, year, after year, after year.
Good. Different.
Sammy Hall? Isn’t that the woman that got hit in the head with the boomgate in that viral video a few years back?
Whooooo Go Steph!! Go Sammy!! Yay D&D! Nice work, you guys smashed it!
You never ham alone.
What did it do to her? Will they be releasing a back story?
Aldi never disappoints. Must be a fun client to work with.
Great insight
That’s our nut
Watched it a few times. It’s shot really well and looks fantastic but what the hell just happened? I don’t get it. It’s so long and I wanted the pay off to be strong but I didn’t understand it all. Bunch of weird characters for what reason? Why does it look, feel and sound like a foreign ad? Why is one lady not receptive to the ham and why does she throw the ham in the ocean?
Other Aldi Xmas work has been much better and clearer. Sorry. I wanted desperately to like it.
A+ for cinematography.
Oh dear, do catch up.
I agree. Silly ad. I dont understand what its trying to say.
👍👍👍 I agree.
I don’t get it at all. Like Audi, shop there and like their ham but don’t understand the ad at all. If you you have to think this much about an ad, then it’s not effective.
You must be the only other person that saw it like i did
I agree. Couldn’t have said it better. All I can think after it’s over is “what the?!”
This screams Midsommar
John Hamm
Hameron Daddo
Abraham Lincoln
Graham Kennedy
…oh wait.
This is based on an actual truth. Or do you not have a ham at Christmas?
Better suited for Easter than Xmas.
https://youtu.be/bRqFPAKQ7WU
The More the Merrier keeps on giving. Congrats. Love it
This is amazing. Well done. Love the craft.
@wesanderson grow up you grinch..
Seriously- the same old stuff. Who cares.
I don’t get it. Does the grump throw the ham into the sea because she likes hers with a little extra salt?
Is this a Kiwi ad?
Well done to all involved
This is epic and entertaining and i didn’t want it to end
Then I watched it again and again
Wish I had done this
An absolute standout this year
Second to none. As always.
Oh please BMF, stop tonguing yourself in the mirror. Everyone can see.
To those who don’t get it:
• Every Aussie Christmas family seems to have a never-ending leg of ham they can’t get through over Christmas.
• The woman who doesn’t like ham also doesn’t celebrate Christmas. She’s Jewish.
I thought the lady who threw it over must have been a vegetarian!😂😂😂
More like Hammy Hall – amazing job Sammy!
Where was the ad filmed?
Tasmania
Any one who’s been around this industry for more than five minutes knows that Budweiser Magic Beer work.
The launch film was shot on-site in Tasmania.
Sorry,but I just don’t get the grumpy lady.What am i missing?
I agree… what is her point in the ad.
Didn’t contribute to the overall story.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1ZSze9IRX4
It’s a good ad compared to most campaigns out there.
But the problem with the ‘much anticipated Aldi Xmas campaign’ is that neither of the most recent ads have lived up to the first, Cricket not out, film. That was great. This is ok.
Everyone followed Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. Have you not read god’s word.
… I saw the 30” on TV last night, and it was all over too quick. Not enough time to establish the story. Love Aldi, but some of the magic was lost on me in the adbreak.
Wasn’t expecting anything.
Loved it.
Good work all.
I don’t eat ham, but having said that I find this ad more enigmatic than the riddle of God Him/Her self.
Same thing from BMF every year.
A very long ad appears on CB which I quite like,then I see the 30 sec cutdown on TV and it doesn’t make any sense.
What’s the point?
I agree.
I think this a great spot and nice moments and sure it’s like other spots but also it’s also its own spot and it looks like it was shot in Stanley on the northwest coast of Tassie and I grew up near there and I’m proud of that and I think Tassie is having an aesthetic moment right now and I’m proud of that even though I’d never live there again ah my god kill me that place kill me. The thing I would like to really home in on and point out and you know when you get to this level with critique it really must be a good spot anyway the thing is the fact is I mean look with that recurring slice everyone is only getting that tough outside bit of ham and even though I don’t eat ham I have to say I don’t think that’s the bit I would choose. That’s all, just a detail but a beautiful spot and fun togetherness at Christmas what can I say plenty of beards and back in time dresses what can I say it’s evocative and charming. What can I say.
I don’t get it. It annoys me.
no one has explained to my satisfaction what is the cranky woman’s problem
If I have to ask what an ad means, I will never buy the product. I simply do not understand what this ad is trying to convey to the audience. Is one woman jealous of the other’s ham? I do not know – please explain. My opinion (and my opinion is really the only one that matters to me) is that I don’t care about this ad and it will never make me buy your product. Sorry about that – better luck next time.
Perhaps Aldi’s advertising agency should include instructions for understanding this one. If only half the population (or the ones watching) get what they are trying to convey, maybe Aldi should find an ad agency that can successfully film an advertisement that everyone knows and appreciates what is happening, Remember the old “Decore” shampoo ad – everyone loved it. And what about “Aeroplane Jelly” and “happy little Vegemites” —— no-one had to tell us what these ads meant — totally self-explanatory. Come on Aldi, you can do better.
What of the name of the lady playing the dear old lady?
What’s the significance of the cranky lady that throws the ham off the cliff??
Jackie weaver
She was on the tv show ‘Love My Way’ Lynette Curran (I think), I could be wrong.
Is the main lead lady Noni Hazelhurst? I can’t think who it is!
I thought it was Jacki Weaver
i have nothing to do with this campaign
fact
but let’s be honest
this is hands down the best Xmas ad this year
(i have spent the last few days watching them all – with my own critical, green, wish I’d done it ad eyes)
this is definitely in contention for the best ad of the year for me too
fact
now go ahead
pull this apart
go for it
but c’mon haters
be honest with yourselves and support great work even if you didn’t do it
I’m glad I’m not the only person who doesn’t get what this ad is trying to convey. And what about the man on the boat? Did he catch it or retrieve it from the bottom of the lake? Silly and annoying. Take it off or run a subtitle with it.
I TOTALLY do not get this commercial 🤔 can anyone explain?
Aldi low prices means you will be merrier this Christmas. You can afford to buy a lot more food. You’ll be able to feed the local village including the resident protein pig aka the bodybuilder, an entire police station plus a couple of Swedish backpacker blow-ins aka the unexpected guests. In fact you’ll have so much food, you’ll have to throw it away
Please help, who are the main characters?
The women look like actresses but I can’t name them
My 14 month old daughter dances like there’s no tomorrow every time this ad comes on tv. Loves this tune. Where can I get it from?
Whos the big muscle man??
Where was this filmed
Tasmania
I think the main lady is an actress is Lynette Curran, and I recognise the other ain one but Her name has escaped me. If anyone know please post it. I worked with both of these two women a zillion years ago on telly. Lyn Curran I’m pretty sure of.
Thanks Barbara
Other actress Dianna Greentree.
It’s “The Magic Pudding” story but featuring ham instead!
I don’t get it beyond the Magic Pudding, but it might be better than UK’s Kevin the carrot.
who is the big muscle man ?
Agree i dint get it either. I mean i get the concept that the ham is magical – never ending blah blah but why does the old bag hurl it iver the cliff????
I don’t mind the ad, but really don’t understand why the old bird throws it over the cliff.
As a 1:30, this ad makes sense. For the majority of distracted TV watchers, unless you’re really paying attention to the first frames, the :30 comes and goes incoherently. At the end, an old woman throws a ham into the ocean and you’re thinking ‘huh?’ And so you have a brand that’s all about value and simplicity. And an ad that looks expensive and is definitely hard to understand. ‘Good different’ is a great way of positioning Aldi, but when you’re selling to middle Australia, you’ve got to get your different right.
Nice to see Lynette Curran ( bellbird actress ) still working
As an ex Stanley dweller I recognised The Nut. Then I recognised my brother who catches the ham. He’s still a Stanley dweller. A great ad.
What’s the point in this ad? A waste of advertising dollars as I can’t imagine it will entice anyone to buy the product.
Thought Aldi was smarter than that.
The ad is shot in the north west coast of Tasmania in Stanley, you can see the the nut in the back ground at the end of the ad.
I want to know who is the big muscle dude in the ad, can anyone tell me?!
You wouldn’t get it if you’re not Tasmanian, it’s just how the roll in tassie!!
The star is Lynette Curran, ex ABC ‘Bellbird’.
I have loved every viewing of this ad. How can people not understand it? The music is catchy, the concept is genius, and the presentation is magical. Then I have been pleasantly surprised by the catchy shorter ads for such exotic items as turkducken! As a normal viewer it has lifted my perception of Aldi products 100%. It is far and away the stand out ad this Season.