Home » UK Business News » Sainsbury’s unveils Christmas advert starring Rick Astley

Sainsbury’s unveils Christmas advert starring Rick Astley

By Nithya Bose in UK Business News, posted November 3, 2023

Sainsbury's has launched its Christmas adverty, starring 80s singing legend Rick Astley.

The move follows the festive advert from M&S, which features actor Ryan Reynolds.

The one-minute-long ad is set inside one of Sainsbury's supermarkets.

The storyline starts when a young girl takes to the store's tannoy: “Hey Sainsbury’s, what does Santa eat for his Christmas dinner?”.

The supermarket's staff chime in with suggestions for festive dishes from its expansive Taste the Difference Christmas range.

But the twist arrives with a surprise cameo from Rick Astley, who suggests "how about some cheese?"

To this, a colleague says, “C’mon Rick, cheese before pudding, you know the rules.”

A delightful sing-along to the iconic lyrics, "and so do I," follows this moment.

The ad then shows a wide view of Santa's lavish Christmas spread.

It's overlaid with Sainsbury's recent brand promise, 'Good Food for All of Us,' introduced in September.

Sainsbury’s has hired its staff to feature in its ad.

It's to demonstrate the role of its 152,000 team members for Christmas and year-round.

The advert will premiere at 8pm tonight on ITV during the popular show Coronation Street.

Emma Bisley, Sainsbury’s head of campaigns, said: “The festive season is a magical time of year and our role is to help our customers have an extra special Christmas, especially when it comes to the food.

Need Career Advice? Get employment skills advice at all levels of your career

“We wanted to create an advert that champions our colleagues all over the country, as well as highlighting the innovation of this year’s Taste the Different range.

“From brand-new festive treats to offers on household Christmas favourites, Sainsbury’s has something for everyone’s table – whatever the budget or tastebuds.

“With this year’s advert, we wanted to bring to life the fun of the holidays and the excitement that comes with planning Christmas dinner, while showcasing Sainsbury’s variety of delicious and quality products because good food should be for all.”

Follow us on YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.