Lowe Howard-Spink launches its Christmas commercial for Tesco this
week, featuring the eccentric Dotty Turnbull as the ’star’ of a school
play.
The ad highlights Tesco’s promise to make Christmas less stressful by
staying open longer and providing more assistants in its busiest
stores.
The film opens with Dotty, played by Prunella Scales, shopping late at
Tesco. The narrator explains: ’Because most Tesco stores are now open
longer, you can pop in when we are less busy.’
Dotty commandeers an assistant, telling him that she needs nappies for
the ’baby Jesus’ who, she insists, is her grandchild. She also needs
carrots for the ’donkey’ and marshmallows for the ’Arch-angel
Gabriel’.
Her shopping completed, Dotty tells her long-suffering helper that she
is rushing ’back to Bethlehem’.
Dotty is next seen backstage at a nativity play. She barges past the
three wise men on the stage and waves the nappies at the baby Jesus
shouting, ’Look! Just in time!’, as the curtain is raised.
The film ends with Dotty backing offstage. Her daughter, played by Jane
Horrocks, hides behind her programme in the audience. The narrator ends
with the line: ’Tesco wish you all a stress-free Christmas. Every little
helps.’
’Nativity’ was written and art directed by Charles Inge at Lowes, and
directed by Mark Chapman through Tiger Aspect.
The commercial will run on national television until Christmas Eve. The
TV activity will be supported with price offers in the national
press.
Media is through Western International Media.
