Holiday Campaign Interview: The Imaginarium

 

Sara Rose
Group Creative Director Saatchi & Saatchi London
In a few words, tell us about your role in the creation of "The Imaginarium"

 

I am a Group Creative Director and lead work across all channels for Asda at Saatchi & Saatchi London.
What was the original brief for this campaign?
Christmas doesn’t just happen in December for Asda. They never stop innovating and imagining new offerings for their shopper’s celebrations. And their shoppers are always trying to make this year’s Christmas more fun than the least. Our brief was to bring this enthusiasm for Christmas to life.
What inspired you to approach the campaign this way?
The best ideas come from a place of truth and we decided to really embrace the thought and care that Asda puts into its unique Christmas offerings, like gin-infused truffles, white chocolate igloos and giant Christmas puddings. Our first thought was “how do they come up with these things”. And the idea just sprang from there.
How difficult was it to sell the idea to ASDA?
We are lucky to have creatively ambitious partners at Asda. We all felt straight away that this idea could set the brand apart this Christmas and had the legs to work across multiple platforms.
What was the biggest challenge you faced during the process?
We had an ambitious approach to production. We captured assets for almost every channel on one mega-shoot. The logistics of getting all those puzzle pieces in place and executing them to a high standard was no mean feat and required tremendous collaboration between Saatchi & Saatchi, Asda and our production partners at Blink and MPC.
What did you learn from the experience?
Start earlier! Christmas campaign development starts earlier and earlier every year, but as the media landscape changes and our creative ambition grows, every day counts.
What’s a “behind the scenes” story that only you know about?
Now know exactly how many kilos of candied cherries it takes to make a three-story tall giant Christmas pudding.
What is your favorite holiday campaign of all time?
There are so many to choose from, but I like the idea that I haven’t seen my favourite yet. It means I still have the capacity to be surprised and jealous of great work.

 

Sara Rose
Group Creative Director Saatchi & Saatchi London