Sainsbury's Goes Dickensian for Christmas Ad, Creating a Surprising Origin Story

Sainsbury's opened its doors on London's Drury Lane in 1869, marking a humble beginning for what has grown into Britain's second-largest grocery chain. To play off that history as the brand turns 150—plus a healthy dose of magical realism—Sainsbury's 2019 Christmas ad from Wieden + Kennedy London tells a Dickensian story based around its first location. In the spot, the dreary life of a soot-caked young boy called Nicholas the Sweep takes a turn for the disastrous when he's falsely accused of stealing produce. From there, the rather boilerplate setup goes in some unexpected directions, with a bit of help from the store's co-founder, Mary Ann Sainsbury. [kickout id="1"] While it starts as a relatively straightforward tale of a young street urchin saved from a life of misery by a kindly benefactor, the ad takes a rather unexpected twist when we learn that Nicholas' journey actually leads to him becoming... Saint Nicholas. It's an odd bit of revisionist history that sidelines good old Saint Nicholas of Myra, but it's doubtful too many viewers will think the brand is literally trying to rewrite one of Christmas' most central characters. The spot was directed by Pulse Films' Ninian Doff, who earlier this year created a visual feast of malevolent vegetables that children must eat to defeat. He also directed The Chemical Brothers' "We've Got to Try," which was also created with Wieden + Kennedy London to help launch Formula 1's 2019 season. The ad was filmed in Romania due to a combination of weather conditions and the convenience of an existing Victorian set. In recent years, Sainsbury's has been one of the most high-profile advertisers of the holiday season. The chain's most famous Christmas spot, "1914," celebrated the 100th anniversary of the so-called Christmas truce, when German and British soldiers in World War I ceased fighting to mark the holiday in peace. [kickout id="2"] Last year's spot, about an over-the-top children's Christmas pageant, was a crowd pleaser but also oddly similar to a John Lewis & Partners ad that had launched two months before. [kickout id="3"] CREDITS: Client: Sainsbury’s Project Name: Nicholas the Sweep Client Name: Laura Boothby Donna Murray-Clark Laura Zaremba Rhiannon Lee Agency: W+K London Creative Directors: Dan Norris and Ray Shaughnessy Creatives: Tom Bender, Tom Corcoran, Tomas Coleman and Mat Kramer Executive Creative Directors: Tony Davidson and Iain Tait Group Account Directors: Katherine Thomson & Lucy Murray Account Director: Mike Waywell Account Manager: Laura Simmons Account Executive: Oliver Mitchell Chief Strategy Officer: Ben Armistead Planner: Rory Foster Comms Planning Director: Lee Ramsay TV Producer: Richard Adkins TV Production Assistant: Dee Fenning Creative Producer: Rashel Tashchian Design Director: Karen Jane Lead Designer: Phil Rosieur Designer: Jon Barnett Motion Graphics: Jon Harris Business Affairs: Alex Coomer Production Company: Pulse Films Director: Ninian Doff Executive Producer / Managing Director: James Sorton Production Company Producer: George Saunders Production Manager: Ben Burdock Director of Photography: John Mathieson Production Designer: Jon Henson Costume Designer: Selina Wong Editorial Company: Stitch Editor: Leo King Edit Assistant: Charlie Von Rotberg Edit Producer: Angela Hart VFX Company: Time Based Arts VFX Head of Production: Josh Robinson VFX Producer: Jo Gutteridge VFX Supervisors: Leo Weston, Sam Osborne" Colorist: Lewis Crossfield Sound Company: Wave Sound Designer: Jack Sedgwick Sound Producer: Beth Tomblin Music Company: Siren Music Supervisor / Producer: Sian Rogers Composer: Chris White