Nathan Ansell: Serving Up the Taste of Christmas

This week, Nathan Ansell, chief customer officer at Waitrose, earns our Marketer of the Week nod for a Christmas campaign that reads like a love letter to the season. Created by Wonderhood Studios, 'The Perfect Gift' proves that sentiment doesn’t have to be sentimental: it blends humour, heart and narrative flair so deftly that even the cynics might find themselves reaching for the mince pies.

The Waitrose Christmas ad wins the festive season hands down. Under Ansell’s leadership, the brand has leaned fully into the emotional richness of Christmas, fully embracing its nostalgia, laughter, and sentiment. The film - starring Keira Knightley and Celebrity Traitors' Joe Wilkinson - is a confident, joyful piece of work that explores love in all its forms. It's about family, friendship, and community while nodding to the themes of new beginnings and second chances that make the season feel so meaningful.

"Nathan brings an infectious energy and absolute clarity to everything he does. He knows exactly what Waitrose needs to do to grow, and that’s incredibly freeing for his agency partners. This means we can focus on what we do best: making the brand famous and celebrating the food. He’s sharp, ambitious and a real joy to work with," says Alex Best, co-founder and CEO of Wonderhood Studios, about his client.

This year’s work builds on the momentum of last year’s 'Sweet Suspicion' whodunnit mystery campaign created by Saatchi & Saatchi and 'Armchair Detectives' featuring actors Vicky McClure and Martin Compston from BBC's 'Line of Duty', also created by Wonderhood Studios. Films that became one of the most talked-about Christmas ads of the season for their wit, charm, and deft storytelling. Together, they show a brand — and a marketer — in creative stride, proving that Waitrose can mix emotional intelligence with entertaining, accessible storytelling that still feels distinctively premium.

Ansell has since moved all his advertising business to Wonderhood Studios.

This is marketing that trusts its audience and believes in the intelligence of emotion. It reminds us that Christmas advertising, when done right, isn’t just about pushing products - it’s about creating connection. And in a year when many brands have chosen to play it a bit safe, Waitrose has gone all in on heart and humanity.

With over 20 years’ experience across retail and FMCG, he brings a marketer’s precision and a storyteller’s instinct to everything he touches. He joined Waitrose in 2023 as its customer director, and was promoted from customer director in April to his current role. Ansell spent more than nine years at M&S, joining as head of brand in 2011, before rising to marketing director for clothing and home in 2018. He worked across both the food and clothing and home during his time at the business. Earlier in his career, Ansell also worked on several FMCG brands including Heinz, Birds Eye and Red Bull.

Wonderhood Studios' ECD Jack Croft says: “Nathan pushes us to the most interesting places.”

In a crowded festive landscape, Waitrose’s Christmas campaign stands out for its humanity, humour and heart. And at its centre is Nathan Ansell — a marketer with creative conviction, commercial intelligence and a genuine understanding of what makes people care.