A record-breaking Christmas marketing campaign

The brief

Since 2020 Majestic Wine has invested in media to support the growth of brand awareness, through Linear TV, BVOD, Social, Display, Radio, door drops, and DOOH channels; with a focus on trade and deal messages to drive sales.

However, anticipating fierce competition during the critical Christmas trading period in 2023 and recognising the substantial brand-building efforts of major supermarkets, Majestic decided to pivot its strategy. They needed:

– Overarching campaign strategy and message.
– Design theme that aligned with messaging and could be rolled out across all channels (direct mail, digital, email, social, in-store POS), along with ATL activity (TV, radio, social).
– Media production of ATL. 

The challenges

Producing a high-volume of versatile content within a single production window demanded meticulous planning and adaptation of the brief to support sub-campaigns, while maximising efficiency on set. 

Navigating the regulatory landscape of advertising alcohol was tricky too. Initially conceived as a narrative transition from sadness to joy after drinking the wine, we faced stringent restrictions on implying alcohol as a mood-altering substance.  

So, we had to get creative.  

To comply with Clearcast regulations and align with ASA guidelines, we crafted an emotional narrative that centred around the memory evoked by the product rather than its immediate effects. 

Further, we faced unexpected challenges in music selection when our chosen track was featured in another TVC, just 11 days before launch. This meant we had to swiftly compose a last-minute track that captured the essence of the original while meeting client expectations. Nevertheless, we managed to create something truly unique that resonated with their audience. 

Our approach

The campaign needed to evoke emotions; creating an association with the Majestic shopping experience that went beyond price and competed with the convenience of buying wine alongside a supermarket shop. 

Our job was to create a suite of marketing content that acted as the catalyst/hook, initiating this experience and enticing the viewer into the purchase journey. To achieve this, we devised a strategy aligned with their audience’s preferences/aspirations, incorporating these elements: 

– Why should I care about the wine I choose?
– Who is it for?
– What’s the occasion/celebration?
– How will this be better than an off-the-shelf selection? 

Our initial focus was on changing perceptions, evolving the consumer behaviour on “how they choose their wines?” through 3 pillars:  

– Journey: The worthwhile travel (to a Majestic store).
– Discovery: The value of the wine (the Majestic experience).
– Sharing: Wine as an occasion (lasting memories). 

We took the time to understand the flaws and problems currently facing the consumer landscape. It was vital that our responses connected with these pillars. We needed to draw the consumer into a safe zone that challenged and evolved how they thought of Majestic, and their typical purchasing behaviours. 

The proposed brand-building 60” TVC unfolds with a festive narrative centred around a family preparing for Christmas. The focus is on the daughter’s heartfelt journey to find the perfect gift for her father, emphasising the right wine is a meaningful and worthwhile journey. The narrative takes an emotional turn as the parents discover a “memories” box in the loft. Majestic becomes the solution to reconnect with said memories and add a special touch to the celebration. 

To strike a balance between mediums, we crafted a radio ad with a focus on driving trade and a supplementary 30” TV commercial with an emphasis on promoting a particular fine wine deal within the store. 

Our BTL social, email, print, OOH and local content stemmed off the back of our 60” ad and was deployed through multiple channels alongside the TVC distribution. This was more DR focused with CTA’s clearly continuing the narrative beyond the TVC awareness phase. 

To produce this integrated campaign, we drew on our 24 years of experience and implemented a “low-touch production strategy”, minimising touchpoints within a production pipeline. We captured all hero, hygiene and hub content within the same shoot frame – avoiding wasted content, unnecessary costs and time, ensuring that every resource and effort went directly towards enhancing the campaign’s effectiveness. 

The campaign was also crafted with a focus on long-term viability. Our concept now enables the brand to extend these “stories” to various reactive and experiential occasions, ensuring relevance across evergreen themes, seasons, sales surges and diverse content streams.