If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it it is a thrifty motto to have. After the tear-jerking success of getting Roald Dahl’s Big Friendly Giant involved last year, Sainsbury’s has returned to its 2024 format with a new — if bleaker — story.
The BFG is now more integrated in human society/Sainsbury’s supply chain, happily delivering dreams athrough windows alongside a Sainsbury’s van bringing Christmas lunch supplies straight to the front door. But peril arrives in the form of a “rotsome” giant, a whopping 48 foot baddie to BFGs relatively petite 24 feet.
He’s stomping through the streets stealing everyone’s food, and it’s fallen on the BFG and his new side-kick, Annie (another real Sainsbury’s employee cast from their stores) to track him and call in emergency redeliveries. What with police cuts, it’s not entirely unbelievable in 2025 Britain that key workers would be taking a second shift clearing up after marauding children’s book villains.
Eventually the greedy giant wears himself out by snacking on an entire Sainsbury’s shop, and Annie calls in the cavalry. Sedated by his own food coma, the bloated baddie is strapped up like King Kong and flown away by helicopter while pleading for a pudding course.
Did a supermarket just deport a fairytale character in their Christmas advert? Let’s hope that the hungry big guy is simply returned to his natural habitat through handwaving festive magic. The alternative is too depressing to consider.
Delighted at seeing himself on the TV, the BFG scores an invite to Christmas dinner with Annie’s family, which does deliver on the warm fuzzies. Sainsbury’s also has an important message to impart around food poverty this year, and to that end is partnering with Comic Relief to deliver five million meals to hungry families. Again, the gaping holes left by Government austerity policies are being left to NGOs to plug.
Sainsbury’s manages to thread the needle on the cost-of-living crisis fairly well. The food spreads seen on screen are tasty looking yet modest, shying away from the over-consumption displayed on the telly during boom years. It’s more breadsticks and olives than caviar and foie gras. Less big spreads and more picky bits.
Make no mistake, this is a cost-of-living flavoured Christmas advert. Even if the concept was signed off way back in February, Sainsbury’s knew from its customer surveys that shoppers have been deeply unsettled by economic and global uncertainty. The retailer still wants people to go big for Christmas — but on flavour or food prep ease, rather than spending beyond our dwindling means.
Although not too big — Sainsbury’s has been cautious not to contravene the upcoming ban on pre-watershed TV adverts for food deemed to be high in salt, sugar and/or fat. Yes, the Government is coming for your crumpets. These rules aren’t coming in until January 5th, but I’d bet my Christmas pudding that most of the supermarkets will play it safe and foreground their healthier ranges.
No wonder the big guy was on a rampage, it’s enough to make anyone go out and minesweep unattended pigs in blankets.
