Sainsbury's Radha Davies: the Power of an Enduring Idea

There's a particular confidence required to recognise a great idea. And perhaps an even greater confidence to know when not to move on from it.

In a marketing world that can be obsessed with the next creative reset, marketing director at Sainsbury's, Nectar Loyalty and Tu Clothing, Radha Davies is making a compelling case for the power of an enduring idea. The retailer has been building a distinctive creative platform – one that is rooted in its food credentials, its heritage, and the warmth of the brand. And nowhere is that long-term thinking more evident than in the return of one particularly big character: Roald Dahl's Big Friendly Giant (BFG).

Now in its third Christmas outing, the partnership between Sainsbury's and the BFG has become a recognisable part of the retailer's festive story. What began as a solid creative idea has developed into something with the potential to become an enduring piece of brand equity. That is no small achievement. And central to the IPA’s definition of effectiveness: it is work that lasts, evolves, and continues to deliver results over years.

Created by New Commercial Arts (NCA), this year's Christmas film, takes that thinking further. Annie, the real Sainsbury's colleague who has become part of the BFG's world, returns alongside another colleague as they go to extraordinary lengths to deliver a festive feast to their giant friend. A story about making sure nobody misses out on Christmas, with the retailer's Taste the Difference range playing a starring role.

But while the strength of the idea is important, so too is the ambition with which it is executed. This is a campaign with real cinematic scale and craft. The film takes us deep into Giant Country, creating an extraordinary world of mountain landscapes, snozzcumber groves and man-eating giants. It feels like a proper piece of Christmas entertainment.

"I'm so proud that we've created a clear creative brand world for Sainsbury's that is anchored in the qulaity and value of our food and the passion of our colleagues," says Davies.

"The BFG has been the perfect Christmas companion for our fabulous colleagues. This year it was great to take Annie into the BFG's world and inject some of that Classic Christmas Movie into our narrative. We are so thrilled at the response to the work, A lot of care and craft has gone into creating something that will entertain and emotionally engage with the nation," she continues on the ambition of the retailer's Christmas campaign and the confidence to back an enduring idea.

It's a reminder that great creative work rarely happens by accident. It needs ambition, trust, collaboration and time. And the partnership with NCA has been central to that journey. Since appointing the agency, Sainsbury's has built a distinctive creative voice and a platform that can flex across the brand. The BFG is perhaps its most magical expression, but it sits within a much bigger ambition for Sainsbury's.

The marketer behind the magic

Davies is an interesting marketer to lead that ambition. Her career has taken her across some very different businesses and categories. From Diageo, working on brands including Baileys, Smirnoff, and Johnnie Walker, before moving into private equity with Bain Capital, where she worked on Ideal Standard. She went on to lead brand repositioning at the Post Office, then took on senior brand and communications roles at King, working on the Candy Crush franchise, before becoming brand development director at Virgin Group. She joined Sainsbury's in 2021, taking on responsibility for the brand at a time when the retailer was looking to re-energise its position and put food back at the heart of its identity.

Across those different roles, a consistent theme emerges: a belief in the power of creativity to transform businesses and drive growth. Davies has spoken previously about her ambition to make Sainsbury's the leading grocery brand again, and about the opportunity to build a long-term creative platform that could work across every part of the business.

The BFG is a particularly joyful demonstration of that ambition. It also says something about her confidence as a marketer. Backing an idea for a third year is not simply a decision to repeat something that has worked. It's a decision to keep investing in it, to give it room to evolve and to trust that audiences will come with you. And then to raise the bar on the creative execution each time.

And that is a rather gloriumptious achievement. For both Radha Davies and her agency NCA.