Supermarkets tend to dominate when it comes to festive advertising but this year the Co-op has chosen to use its ad slot to shed light on the issue of food waste and highlight the power of community. 

The centrepiece of the campaign, created by Lucky General was a two minute live ad starring Dermot O’Leary and TV Chef and rapper Big Zuu which ran during Coronation street on the 26th of November, marking the first time a grocer has ever run a live Christmas commercial. 

The live broadcast showed Dermot take a tour of the Community Fridge project, whilst members of the public tucked into a curry prepared by Big Zuu made with ingredients from the fridge.

“I love a Christmas ad. But this year we're committing to putting 250 community fridges into the heart of communities, felt like not only the right thing to do for brand like Co-op but the right thing to do as human beings.” said Danny Hunt, Creative Director at Lucky Generals, “Executing such an important service we knew we needed to find a way to creatively get out of the way and show what a great job the fridges do and what an amazing place a Community Fridge can be.”

The Community Fridges project was set up in partnership with Hubbub, a British charity committed to working with diverse communities, running campaigns and projects that tackle social as well as environmental issues. The fridges are open over the festive period and are a place where communities can gain access to fresh food, cook together and learn new skills.

Each Community Fridge redistributes an average of 2.4 tonnes of food per month and the Co-op has committed to doubling Hubbub’s network to 500 by funding a further 250 fridges, which will save a total of 34 million meals from going to waste annually.

Lucky Generals and ITN Productions, in partnership brokered by Dentsu agencies Carat UK and The Story Lab worked on the live broadcast to help consumers gain insight into the project and see the Co-op’s Community Fridges live in action.

“Christmas is a great time to shine a spotlight on the things that matter most to us. Given the past 18 months and the challenges which clearly lie ahead, we wanted to highlight the importance of community in a real, genuine and positive way.” explained Ali Jones, Customer and Community Director at Co-op, “Our unique live advert will remind people that whilst not everyone can enjoy the same Christmas this year but that by co-operating we can create a fairer world in the future.”

Beyond the live ad, Co-op will also be advertising the Christmas food that helps support Community Fridges every time it is bought. The ads will run across TV ads, print, radio, OOH, digital and social.