In the fairytale, hungry Hansel and Gretel fall into the clutches of an evil witch when they spot her tasty gingerbread house in the forest...
And now the – a lot less Grimm – story of how building a gingerbread house can bring meaning to Christmas is being used by Tesco to lure shoppers in to splash out on their festive fare.
Titled “Helping Feed Your Christmas Spirit”, the advert tells the story of Gary, who remembers his late grandmother by carrying on their Christmas tradition by building a gingerbread house.
Set to On Melancholy Hill by Gorillaz, Gary sees Christmas spirit explode all around him after his grandfather hands him a packet of Tesco Gingerbread Men.
The world transforms into a gingerbread winter wonderland, but it starts to crumble as bereaved Gary remembers how his gran will be absent at Christmas.
But he and his granddad rekindle a cherished tradition of building a gingerbread house, which takes pride in the household’s festive table.
Then, as everyone sits down to enjoy their meal, their Christmas spirit peaks, and we see the exterior of Grandad’s house transform into gingerbread, too.
Chief commercial officer at Tesco Ashwin Prasad told the Mirror: “As we thought about what the theme should be, we felt the Christmas spirit waxes and wanes throughout the season, as people are worried about the costs, logistics of bringing everyone together and finding all the products they need to on a gift list.
“It is family traditions and the memories that give people the pay-off on Christmas Day when it all comes together. It felt like a big, uniquely Tesco way of recognising how Christmas really is for families. We really loved the story with Gary and his grandad coming together to carry on a tradition.”
The ad premieres today during ITV’s Martin Lewis Money Show and Channel 4’s Great British Bake Off. A longer version of the advert will be shown in cinemas until December 23.
The supermarket is selling a biscuit house that people can build at home, and 10p from every sale of gingerbread this Christmas will be donated to the Trussell Trust and FareShare to help foodbanks.
But it's not just gingerbread - Ashwin said this year Tesco has grown its festive offerings, with around 280 new products as well as further innovating and developing existing items, such as Christmas food from its Finest range. The 3-minute and cut-down 60-second versions of the tear-jerking advert are packed full with magical moments and ' Easter eggs ', such an urban fox made out of gingerbread and a gingerbread man in a Calvin Klein-style advert poster.
Ashwin said: "It wouldn't be Tesco if there weren't moments of fun, humour and cultural references, despite the really endearing narrative. We hope that every time people watch it they will find something different."
Christmas adverts have become big business in the UK in recent years, with firms projected to spend £10.5 billion over the festive season, according to industry trade body the Advertising Association and data provider WARC. This is 8% more than last year's £9.7bn spend - and aside from the post-covid recovery year of 2021 the highest since records began in 1982.
Ashwin said: "The Christmas adverts have become something that everybody looks forward to - but what I love about them is that I don't think it's because of the aim of spending more, it's that, especially in the past few years, everybody in the UK wants to have the best Christmas they possibly can. In pursuit of that, you really want to tell a story that relates to customers. What I feel particularly proud of in the UK is that is the starting point for everybody - they are really trying to tell a story that resonates.
"As a result of that, you have something that has become more and more special with a lot of thought and passion that has gone into it." Tesco's Christmas campaign premieres today during ITV ’s Martin Lewis Money Show and Channel 4 ’s Great British Bake Off, which both start at 8pm.
The longer version of the advert will also be showing in cinemas across the UK until December 23, as well as across social media.
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