ALDI unveils ‘The More The Merrier’ 2017 Christmas campaign via BMF Sydney
At Christmas, Australians welcome blow-ins and drop-ins, tag-alongs and plus-ones. It’s the more the merrier in Australia and that’s the way we like it. Thanks to ALDI’s quality Christmas range, you can afford to have plenty to feed your crowd, whatever the size.
This year, we’re telling the true-ish story of Doug, a stubborn batsman whose epic innings of backyard cricket drew people from far and wide. They came for the cricket but stayed for the spread.
It’s not just a battle between bat and ball. It’s a battle between ego and grumbly tummy. Between pride and pavlova. Eventually, the temptation of a Christmas feast proved too much for Doug, and he gave up his wicket to share in the festivities.
‘The More The Merrier’ campaign launched with a TV ad and will be followed by a series of retail TV ads with everything you’ll need for entertaining, feasting, gifting and decorating. The integrated campaign is also supported by digital display, outdoor, social, POS, eDMs, ALDI catalogues and https://www.aldi.com.au/christmas.
Says Alex Derwin, creative director, BMF: “It’s been a big year for ALDI. We’ve launched a new brand positioning, rolled out a new retail platform, and managed to squeeze in the implementation of a new global logo – alongside our regular campaign activity. Now, it’s time to tell a good old-fashioned Christmas story that’s celebrating an authentic Aussie legend.”
Says Steve McArdle, managing director, BMF: “We’ve celebrated the joys of the perfect Aussie Christmas for the last 5 years. We’ve stayed true to that, but moved it up a notch. Enter stage left an epic Christmas fable done in a perfect Aussie way that invites everyone to join in the festive feast of Merriment. We’re very proud and we hope it tickles your fancy.”
Says an ALDI spokesperson: “Our Christmas campaigns have contributed significantly to business growth over the last couple of years. This year we’ve found a fresh take on Christmas in Australia that will entice even more shoppers to explore ALDI’s Christmas range and experience the category leading prices.”
Agency: BMF
Executive Creative Director: Cam Blackey
Creative Director: Alex Derwin
Associate Creative Director: Rosita Rawnsley-Mason
Copywriters: Hans Christian Berents and Tom Johnson
Designer: Matthew Hughes
Executive Planning Director: Christina Aventi
Head of Planning: Hugh Munro
Planning Executive: Kellie Box
Managing Director: Stephen McArdle
Group Account Director: Toby Hussey
Account Director: Rose Flowers
Account Manager: James Arnold
Account Executive: India Gates
Senior Agency Producer: Emma Friend
Director: Hamish Rothwell
Production Company: Goodoil
Producer: Llew Griffiths
Executive Producer: Sam Long
DoP: Germain McMicking
Casting: Alison Meadows @Mullinars
Art Director: Guy Treadgold
Post Production: ALT FX
Editor: Peter Sciberras @ARC
Music: Elliot @Turning Studios
Sound Design / Audio post: Tone Aston @Rumble Studios
Art Buyer (Print): Basir Salleh
Photographer (Print): Gavin Johns
Client Credits:
Marketing Director: Mark Richardson
Marketing Manager: Kylie Warnke
Marketing Assistant: Katherine Franulovich
Media Agency: Zenith
61 Comments
well done.
wow, really nice.
great. love it. nuff said.
Naice!
Winner Winner Turkey Dinner
Great stuff guys.
This is really, really good.
This is so nicely crafted. Shot beautifully, wonderfully edited, fantastic score, great VO copy and delivery. Really great work. Well done. Only query would be the leads cricket style, it’s a bit baseball like. Then again, probably intentional. If so, even that’s clever.
lovely.
Best Christmas ad i’ve seen in ages, definitely beats the latest UK Christmas PC guff.
Well played.
Great little tale
Saw this last night. Reminded me of being a kid. Great work.
I don’t get it.
An ad for the forthcoming Ashes series?
Really great spot!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuPSIbABYVU
Really great spot!
He doesn’t want to play cricket or share his food with non-ozzies and he storms off in disgust?
Maybe I should watch it with sound.
That technique is miserable. Needs a lot of work.
The spot is good though.
BMF. Good shit this.
Well done to the team. Beautiful crafted piece of storytelling that nails the dusty, squinty, cricket-y Australian Christmas. Love it.
I cant stop watching this. Amazing.
I don’t get it at all? But I don’t play cricket. Do you have to to understand it?
Such a long bloody indulgent story for a weak few second payoff.
Sorry.
I love it.
Beautiful insight into Aussie Christmas’ and Summer.
I prefer the cut-down I saw on tele.
Well done all involved. I love it.
If you don’t like this your an ad grinch. Tight on so many levels. Congrats all.
I don’t get it and I don’t like it.
I’m an import.
The feedback is clearly good, from a notoriously tough crowd, and I really want to understand what I’m missing here.
Please can someone explain it to me?
I’m asking in all honesty.
I so want to like this more than I do.Haven’t seen the shorter version on TV maybe that will help.I just got lost.
Lovely idea beautifully executed.
Well done BMF and Goodoil. Class.
Jacko x
You’d have to be sad and lonely, emotionless and deeply stupid not to see the genius in this wouldn’t you?
Well this is exactly what’s wrong with the industry. Men doing ads for the female consumer. If 75% of shoppers are female, how did this creatively and strategically get the go ahead? Please don’t try spin some shit about how it does.
It’s like a beer ad but for a supermarket.
All the positive comments are clearly from blokes. Woz, Jacko, Groucho, The Don, Onya etc says it all.
I’m sure after I post this the fake female bloggers will come out and try defend it.
A female will never have written this ad!
WE NEED MORE FEMALES IN THE CREATIVE DEPARTMENTS ASAP.
fat indulgent christmas turkey.
you should be ashamed boys.
You are right X. only appeals to the naughty boys who wrote it and anyone else dreaming of making an ad that is a big long pointless wank. It’s beautifully shot, cast, directed but surly you can see past that? No ‘grocery buying mum’ like me is going to do any more than go “eh?”, you’d be lucky if I even noticed it was playing. The fact that this gets so much love makes me ill.
X you are so right. Doesn’t the world have enough stories where men are celebrated for the slimmest of achievements, while sexless and anonymous women get on with the domestic labour in the background? Apparently not.
@the lovely feminists in training,
The ACD on this is a chick, as are the planners, as am I. I also don’t want to start rumours but I’ve heard Cam is known to moonlight as a woman.
In other words, calm your farms.
Agree with X. When i mentioned how this does nothing for the female consumer infront of a bunch of guys they all laughed at me.
Guys play and women cook is my take. We are so immune to the problem that no one see’s it. Shame. It really is like a beer ad.
Aldi should know better. BMF should too.
I’m sure it will win awards from more male back slapping judges.
Not trying to be insulting but I have no idea what this is about. Beautifully shot, no doubt. But its a beer ad right? I have no idea what I’m watching, or why its going to make me shop at Aldi. Lets be honest, that is what advertising is about right?
If we’re all being literal – I feel bad for the guy who had to stand there for 40 years just to make this ad. Shame on you Aldi.
@ Please,
Making light of the issue is not the best way of dealing with this.
The planners and ACD clearly were out numbered.
Hasn’t any of the complainers here that say it’s ‘too male biased’ been watching the success of the Australian FEMALE cricketers in the last few weeks? Bloody hell, it’s not just a male sport. Great ad guys. Ignore the idiots who wished they’d done something half as good.
And I don’t even understand or play cricket, but I have the small amount of general knowledge required to know what’s going on in the ad. Love it.
A company that appeals to women approved an ad with no women in? Jeez, you desperate old-school feminists really are mocking yourselves.
In the meantime, get back to you letters complaining about beauty ads, clothing stores, fashion, makeup, dolls… Oh, that’s right, you aren’t.
I’m a woman and so’s my wife.
WTF has this got to do with shopping?
He’s batted for 40 years. Nothing could break his indomitable run. Says he’ll eat when he gets out. He sees the delicious Aldi Christmas spread. Let’s himself get out so he can go and eat said delicious Aldi Christmas spread.
So the Aldi spread is that “good” you could go 39 consecutive years without it.
Mansplaining. My new favourite sub-blog on the campaign site. Keep it up you male, or female, legend.
Thought so.
Which makes it a pretty ordinary ad in my books.
But what do I know? I’m just a woman. With a willy.
This is lost a little on me too. Nice story, well shot, and all that. It’s a lovely spot. But how is this dramatising “The More the Merrier”? Which, btw, is a great line for Christmas.
But this guy seems content to stay out there on his own? Until inexplicably people finally show up with actual food one Christmas.
Is it just me!?
Please help understand.
Explain it to me like I’m an Australian family grocery buyer.
WHAT FUCKING ISSUE!!?!?!?!?
YOU SEEM TO HAVE ISSUES, NOBODY ELSE DOES!!!!
NOBODY ELSE CARES!!!
Obviously never had Jimmy Anderson round for Christmas dinner then.
Obviously never had Jimmy Anderson round for Christmas dinner then.
So let me understand this please, my dear outraged fembots.
If they’d made an ad that “leveraged” the fact we were the grocery buying segment, you’d be complaining that they were too weak to break an archaic approach and are essentially condemning our young daughters to a life of supermarkets, food prep and dishwasher hands. Part of an ongoing boys club machine determined to keep the status quo.
If they do something different. You complain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2SpN-OePzc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBqPzHEDzvo
Nice one, girls and boys. Makes me homesick for an Aussie Christmas lunch.
I’m a woman. And I love cricket. It’s a love passed down to me by my Mum. And it was passed down to her by her mum.
To X and the other people saying this ad can’t possibly appeal to women… you’re part of the problem. Screw you.
It’s not so much that a female didn’t write this it’s more that it doesn’t appeal to women. Sorry, it just doesn’t. Someone summed it up perfectly by saying it’s just like a beer ad but for a supermarket.
@Tim, yes the female cricket team have done amazing things. So why wasn’t the cricketer in the ad female?
@TishFaco, if your creativity stops at what you suggested appeals to women then you really are part to the problem.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJZJrQodMfk
Do you ever follow that statement up with a suggestion of how to actually find a solution? Since everyone else is part of the problem, it’s only right that you know the answers.
Jesus fucking Christ – it’s an ad for Aldi, not the new artisinal cold drip deconstructed coffee served in a single piece of hand-folded carpet. Have a little bit of a critical think about who’s more likely to shop at Aldi – regular people, or ad industry arseholes.
Let’s just call this brilliant, and clearly better than the John Lewis Chrissy ad, for nothing like the budget or resource.
Huge expectations on every Aldi campaign, and each new offering betters the last.
i praise these stylish post! 🙂
Great stuff man. I love it.