Bringing Back The BFG for Sainsbury's at Christmas

The Big Friendly Giant (BFG) is back for a third Sainsbury’s Christmas story, continuing a much-loved partnership between the Roald Dahl character and Sainsbury’s colleague Annie. Bringing the Giant Country to life, Annie returns in this campaign to showcase the supermarket’s core belief, that Sainsburys should bring good food to all.

As delivery drivers run up and down the country every day, the story follows a pair of Sainsburys colleagues going above and beyond to bring a special festive feast to her treasured companion, the BFG. Through the magical world of mountain tops, snozzcumber groves, and man-eating giants, the two Sainsbury’s colleagues drive all day and night to get to the BFG’s house, bringing a whole range of festive treats.

The work by New Commercial Arts (NCA) showcases a story about not missing out on Christmas. This year's advert also spotlights the partnership between Sainsburys and Comic Relief and their mission is to raise money to provide 12 million meals, supporting charities and community groups across the UK who are helping children access good food through food clubs, after-school dinners, and meals during the school holidays.

At a preview screening, Sainsbury’s marketing director Radha Davies was joined by Emma Bisley head of comms at Sainsbury’s and Dan Bailey, creative partner at New Commercial Arts to talk about building the world and the creative inspiration behind the Christmas story.

“We’ve really enjoyed working with the Roald Dahl Story Company, and the BFG has been a brilliant hit for Sainsbury’s and really resonated with our customers. It felt fitting to bring the BFG back and tell our story with him again," says Davies.

She adds that the BFG’s qualities bring to life those of Sainsbury’s; the warmth, the care, the playfulness, and the humour.

Davies also explains that the story also shows how Annie and the BFG’s friendship has blossomed since last year's instalment, and highlighted the lengths Sainsbury's colleagues will go to make sure Christmas is delivered. 

Bisley says that in this year's advert, she especially focused on the colleagues, revealing that Annie is a genuine colleague based in Glasgow. “This year there’s much more jeopardy, adventure, and challenge.” She adds that Annie has also become and internal celebrity since her first appearance last year.

The campaign idea

Bailey says that when starting out with initial ideas for the campaign, the goal was always to articulate what Good Food for All of Us means. He says, “The idea came up fairly quickly that perhaps The BFG couldn’t come to our world, and the obvious conclusion was that Annie was going above and beyond to go and see him.”

From Annie luring the Scotch-Hopper with the cheeseboard, she still takes her time to add some grapes and Taste the Difference chutney. It's those elements that Bailey says showcase the quality of the food. "We learn how best to prepare and present the food to make sure it always looks fantastic and does justice both to the hard work Sainsbury’s puts into creating that food and to the food itself, which is particularly delicious”

Filmed in the Scottish Highlands, the location brought the epic scale needed for the story. Bailey says “It’s a story being told on a big scale because of the nature of some of the characters, and we needed somewhere that had the drama and epic qualities we wanted.”

He also believes the story's greatest appeal is that it doesn't look like any other Christmas campaign. Achieving that distinctive feel meant combining practical, real-world techniques with the right post-production tools to create a world that feels both believable and magical.

After three years, Bisley says that the most important thing when deciding to return to the character of The BFG was how the customers responded. Knowing how well has landed before, it felt like a natural partnership to return to. She says “He appeals to everyone across the ages. He’s warm, Christmassy, and has an amazing curiosity about good food — not snozzcumbers, genuine good food.”

Davies believes that even with a slightly more challenging year, with changes in HFSS legislation among the new challenges, the brand's promise, bringing good food for everyone, is something the she wanted to depict through this work. She says, “I think it brings together the spirit of Christmas beautifully. It has that magical nostalgia and a bit of entertainment that customers really want, especially when the world feels a little out of control.”