Holiday Food Outranks All Other Traditions in Humorously Relatable U.K. Campaign

It never hurts to remind ourselves of what truly matters during the holidays: love, family, peace, and togetherness. Oh, and food. Decadent, sensational food. That matters too. And it’s not just about indulging. Food is the centerpiece of most holiday traditions. After waiting a whole year for that one special dish, can you really blame anyone for not wanting to wait for a second more once the big day arrives? Waitrose & Partners and agency adam&eveDDB have always understood. That’s why they teamed up once again for this year’s Christmas campaign “Too Good to Wait,” encouraging everyone to do whatever it takes to get to the tasty, quality food. "We all have those Christmas rituals that we dutifully observe whilst secretly wishing we could get straight to the good stuff,” Paul Billingsley, managing director at adam&eveDDB observes. “In this case, the delicious food from Waitrose & Partners.” In each of the two 30-second ad spots, we see someone quickly shirk other holiday traditions in favor of getting to the real star of the holidays, Waitrose holiday foods. [kickout id="1"] In “Mistletoe,” a couple lingers romantically in anticipation of a sweet holiday kiss. The moment is quickly interrupted by the announced arrival of the turkey, and the woman ditches her date without a second thought because she knows how to prioritize. [kickout id="2"] “Too Good to Wait” is actually a nice counterbalance to all of the particularly emotional holiday marketing. Yes, this time of year can get sentimental and, at times, a bit weepy. But we shouldn’t forget the special element of fun that surrounds these few months, as well. Besides, it’s the little details—like the platter of chocolate and cherry mince pies in the ad spot “Concert”—that really inform the holiday cheer. The campaign will premiere a total of six ads between now and December 14. In addition to standard televised airings, “Mistletoe” and “Concert” will run in U.K. movie theaters starting November 16 to coincide with the release of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindlewald. CREDITS: Client: Waitrose & Partners Customer Director: Martin George Head of Marketing: Rupert Ellwood Senior Marketing Manager, Advertising: Jo Massey Marketing Manager, Advertising: Alia Ahmad Marketing Manager, Advertising: James Ward Assistant Marketing Manager, Advertising: Becky Hofstede – Agency: adam&eveDDB Chief Creative Officer: Richard Brim Creative Director/s: Feargal Ballance & Patrick McClelland Copywriter: Sali Horsey Art director: Zoe Nash Chief Strategy Officer: David Golding Planning Director: Hugh De Winton Managing Director: Paul Billingsley Account Director: Abi Robinson Account Manager: Kathryn Armstrong Account Manager: Rosie Snowball Account Manager: Emily Gower Project Manager: Rasha Noronha Media Agency: Manning Gottlieb, OMD Media Planners: Geraldine Ridgway, Emma Hawkins Head of Design: Alex Fairman Designers: Danny Edwards Emma Vincent-Pagden Agency Producers: Louise Richardson, Chris Battye Production Company: Outsider Producer: Benji Howell Director: James Rouse D.O.P: Stephen Keith Roach Editing Company: Work Editorial Editor: Bill Smedley / Art Jones Post Production: Framestore Post Producer Josh King Music: Siren Audio Post Production: Anthony Moore and Dan Beckwith, Factory Studios Idents: Agency Producer: Hannah Needham Production Company: MJZ Executive Producer: Lindsay Turnham Producer: Amy Appleton-Smith Director: Joy Kilpatrick D.O.P: Stephen Keith Roach Editing Company: The Quarry Editor: Bruce Townend Post Production: NineteenTwenty Post Producer David Keegan Colorist: Steffan Perry, Framestore Print/OOH: Agency Producer: Olly Ravaux Photographer: Con Poulos Production Company: Hat Margolies at Lucid Representation Retoucher: Jon Webb Head of Design: Alex Fairman Designer: Danny Edwards Emma Vincent Pagden Digital Designer: Adrian Baker, Cain & Abel VFX: VFX Supervisor & Lead Flame: Paul O'Brien Flame: George Roper Colourist: Steffan Perry Producer: Josh King Production Assistant: Ben Stell