News flash: Santa is a foodie

11/23/2023

Work

by Cossette

Metro and Cossette are urging Quebec households to offer Santa something different this year

Who started the long-standing rumour that Santa Claus only eats cookies? The origins of this myth may never be known, but for Cossette and Metro, it was an excellent premise for what the grocery store wanted to focus on this year for its Christmas campaign—serving up some variety during the holidays.

Whether it’s a piece of homemade fudge, a piece of baklava, a bowl of moroccan couscous or a slice of holiday turkey, we wanted to show that we have everything it takes to offer a variety of options to both Santa and our customers. And that’s true regardless of their tastes, eating habits or budget.

Alain Tadros, Vice-President, Marketing, at Metro

In Quebec, holiday ads and the New Year’s Eve Bye Bye TV special have basically become our Super Bowl—so we wanted to help our clients stand out with an original ideal that people won’t soon forget, whether it’s rolled out online, in store or on social media, for example.

Geneviève Duquette, Creative Director at Cossette

The Christmas campaign revolves around two key ads. First, we see jolly ol’ Saint Nick recording a video message from his workshop in the North Pole, and he shares his secret wish—he’s tired of cookies and would love to be treated to a variety of foods. Afterwards, a follow-up spot will be released in response to this plea. It will show children secretly setting a variety of dishes on the table for Santa to enjoy when he stops by their home on Christmas Eve. The next morning, the family opens their gifts, and each is more unexpected than the last. Nothing that happens is implausible, yet it makes you want to believe in the magic of Christmas.

Credits

ADVERTISER

Metro

AGENCY: Cossette

CREATIVE: Geneviève Duquette, Christine Girard, Edith Landry-Michaud, Vicky Morin, Dominique Audet, Anne-Claude Chénier STRATEGY: Myriam Minville Gallagher, Hugo Fournier, Michel-Alex Lessard PRODUCT: Sophie Couvrette, Meggie Lavoie, Laurence Campeau, Marie-Claude Lachance AGENCY PRODUCTION: Septième – Stéphanie Côté, Alexandrine Perras

MEDIA AGENCY: Touché!

MEDIA: Maxime Mourot, Bianca Paccieri, Thomas Baussay

PRODUCTION HOUSE: SOMA

DIRECTOR: François St-Amant DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Jonathan Decoste SOUND STUDIO: Cult Nation PRODUCTION: Geneviève Cabana-Proulx, Marc-Antoine Lambert