How Waitrose Nailed 'I Love You' At Christmas

Forget the mistletoe - there’s a quiet rebellion of unlikely love in the supermarket aisles at Waitrose. The pearl clutchers’ time is finally up because Keira Knightley and the loveable Phil (played by Joe Wilkinson) have shown that romance at the cheese counter is for everyone.

Waitrose has a history of being mocked and misunderstood. From 'Overheard in Waitrose' to the hijacking of #Waitrose Reasons its customers have often been derided as bumbling poshos.

Building on the success of CMO Nathan Ansell’s vision to turn this perception around, the supermarket is using the season of comfort and joy to remind us that good food - and the love behind it -  is for everyone.

Created by Wonderhood Studios and set out as a mini-movie directed by Molly Manners - also behind Netflix’s 'One Day' series - it is the story of a widow's unlikely romance with a star.

The unique angle plays on 'Love Actually' and will prove an intergenerational hit with fans of Keira Knightley and Joe Wilkinson who is fresh off his Celebrity Traitors stint. 

It also builds on the star-studded whodunnit last year, which played on the idea that stealing a family's Christmas food is the ultimate crime, with Joe Wilkinson reprising his role as Phil.

It's a campaign created with many touchpoints to engage across the highly fragmented media landscape and orchestrated so that, through word of mouth people will search for it on YouTube.

As creative partners, Wonderhood Studios and Waitrose are keenly aware that with viewers' attention split across many platforms, they need to do much more than promote; they need to be the cultural moment. With 'The Perfect Gift', they’ve excelled.

Beyond the “I Love You” pie and the A-listers, who pull a delightfully fuzzy Christmas-y punch, it’s the further product-oriented idents which show how food can be a love language in multiple scenarios. These include a “peace offering” between two sisters, a ploy with which to escape a dull aunty and more.

Because Waitrose aims to be the food lover’s brand and information source, Wilkinson and Keira Knightley will both appear on the supermarket’s 'Dish' podcast. They’ll no doubt get a mention in the supermarket's recently revamped Food magazine.

The overall message is “say it with food”, tying back to the quote “sweet as pie” from rom-com king Richard Curtis himself when describing the campaign.

Most people aren’t chefs, but they do try their best to put on a spread at Christmas. From mothers pulling out the smoked salmon she saved up for, to grandmothers placing a bowl of pomegranate jewels on the table like she did when you were small.

That’s Christmas. It’s chuckling at the bûche de Noël that didn’t rise and passing around some limoncello mince pies that were in the cupboard as a back-up (but which everyone was secretly eyeing more than the dry effort at baking).

The experience is not about gunning for a Michelin star - it’s all because food is love, and this year, Waitrose has once again proved it’s the place for those who care. It’s not about class, it's not (entirely) about immediately gratifying sales numbers, it’s about togetherness and connection.

Now that's advertising that lingers like a figgy pudding, that warms like a freshly baked pie, all cooked up for customers this Christmas.