Lidl, with branches in Dingwall, Alness and Tain, targets ITV's I'm a Celebrity ad break for cheeky launch of parody Christmas campaign; Retailer also announces food donation scheme in partnership with charities
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A SUPERMARKET retailer with a presence in Ross-shire aims to catch the ad break attention of viewers tuning in for the return of one of the most popular reality shows on TV tonight.
Lidl – which has stores in Tain, Alness and Dingwall – is hoping fans of I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here will catch its festive fare before popping the kettle on for a cuppas the adverts come on.
The tongue-in-cheek campaign is said to poke fun at the usual sickly sweet Christmas fare opening with a seemingly traditional scene in which the world is "hushed and white with snow" and a young girl and robin contemplate each other.
The ad makes playful references to "emotional gravy" and moments designed to make viewers sad.
Ryan McDonnell, commercial director at Lidl GB, explained: “We all need a little light relief this year, so we wanted our Christmas ad to show customers that our commitment to high quality at Lidl prices means everyone can believe in a great Christmas – and we had a bit of fun doing it too!”
The ad has been previewed on Twitter and gets its full TV premiere during ITV's I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, fronted by Ant and Dec. The celeb line-up includes Olympic gold medallist Sir Mo Farah, EastEnders star Jessica Plummer and Radio 1 DJ Jordan North. Ballroom dancer A J Pritchard is promising viewers a glimpse of what he is really like – while Strictly host Tess Daly's TV preseneter husband, Vernon Kay, also features.
Reflecting the challenging realities some people face this Christmas, Lidl has also launched the Teaming up to Tackle Hunger scheme in what it claims will be a retail first which allows customers to donate essential food items directly to their local community at the till, with the retailer matching every donation made.
The initiative forms part of Lidl’s ongoing partnership with Neighbourly, which has seen it donate over six million meals to an existing network of 2220 local charities.
