Lowes launches Tesco nativity burst

Lowe Howard-Spink launches its Christmas commercial for Tesco this

week, featuring the eccentric Dotty Turnbull as the ’star’ of a school

play.

The ad highlights Tesco’s promise to make Christmas less stressful by

staying open longer and providing more assistants in its busiest

stores.

The film opens with Dotty, played by Prunella Scales, shopping late at

Tesco. The narrator explains: ’Because most Tesco stores are now open

longer, you can pop in when we are less busy.’

Dotty commandeers an assistant, telling him that she needs nappies for

the ’baby Jesus’ who, she insists, is her grandchild. She also needs

carrots for the ’donkey’ and marshmallows for the ’Arch-angel

Gabriel’.

Her shopping completed, Dotty tells her long-suffering helper that she

is rushing ’back to Bethlehem’.

Dotty is next seen backstage at a nativity play. She barges past the

three wise men on the stage and waves the nappies at the baby Jesus

shouting, ’Look! Just in time!’, as the curtain is raised.

The film ends with Dotty backing offstage. Her daughter, played by Jane

Horrocks, hides behind her programme in the audience. The narrator ends

with the line: ’Tesco wish you all a stress-free Christmas. Every little

helps.’

’Nativity’ was written and art directed by Charles Inge at Lowes, and

directed by Mark Chapman through Tiger Aspect.

The commercial will run on national television until Christmas Eve. The

TV activity will be supported with price offers in the national

press.

Media is through Western International Media.

This article was first published on Campaign