Sainsbury’s Christmas advert 2023 to star 80s pop legend

Sainsbury’s has confirmed that an 80s pop star will be starring in its Christmas 2023 ad campaign after the celebrity in question was spotted filming scenes for the festive advert in a local store this weekend.

It might only be September but it’s never too early for the supermarket Christmas advert season to begin, as Sainsbury’s is rolling out 80s legend Rick Astley for its seasonal campaign in what is set to be a “battle of the Christmas ad crooners”.

Just last week Asda revealed that festive superstar Michael Bublé will be fronting its campaign in a series of ads directed by Oscar winner Taika Waititi.

While no further details about the ad have been shared, a Sainsbury’s source dropped a significant hint that Astley is on board, saying: “We’re never gonna give up the secrets of our Christmas ad this early.”

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The supermarket’s move is likely to have cross-generational appeal, with Astley recently gaining significant traction among Gen Z thanks to TikTok and the bait-and-switch social media prank of ‘Rickrolling’.

Signing Astley also suggests the tone of this year’s advert is likely to be upbeat, moving away from the ‘tear-jerker’ ads which had previously been popular.

Last year Sainsbury’s Christmas ad featured TV presenter Alison Hammond, who played the starring role in a medieval banquet. However, while suitably festive it largely failed to engage viewers, with ad agency Wieden + Kennedy deciding not to re-pitch for the Sainsbury’s account this year.

The supermarket is now working with creative agency New Commercial Arts (NCA), a relatively new agency which only launched in 2020.

Sainsbury’s CMO Mark Given said at the time that NCA “demonstrated real strength in both their strategic and creative approach to our brand opportunities and their passion for and experience in retail marketing shone through.”

The hotly-contested retail Christmas advertising campaign will be the true test for the agency, as it squares up against the likes of Asda, Lidl and John Lewis in the battle of the festive ads.