From a romantic comedy with actress Keira Knightley in her Christmas advert, to a galactic odyssey. The British supermarket chain Waitrose changes film genres, but continues to celebrate food as a fundamental element of life and its enjoyment. It does so now with the “The gastronaut” campaign, designed by the agency Wonderhood Studios.
With it, it highlights its product catalog, its value proposition and connects emotionally with gastronomy lovers and consumers who are committed to quality. The message is materialized in a spot produced by Smuggler that praises food as a way of life, and not just as simple fuel for the body.
The ad follows Michael, an astronaut tired of dehydrated preparations and foods that have to be extracted from an aluminum tube. In his communications with the Earth he longs for a sandwich or even dreams of pasta with shrimp. Fed up with the situation, he decides to take the reins of the ship and head home so he can enjoy his favorite dish. And that house is none other than a Waitrose store.
The piece runs to the rhythm of “I don’t want to miss a thing”, by Aerosmith, the emblematic theme from the movie “Armageddon”.
By contrasting food as fuel and food as emotion, Waitrose promotes its identification with food lovers and presents itself to them as their “spiritual home”. The brand makes itself seen as another lover of gastronomy and a food provider concerned about flavor, quality and well-being.
“Our customers see food as a source of enjoyment. At Waitrose we understand this; In fact, we share this love for food” said Nathan Ansell, Customer Service Director at Waitrose, according to Creative Salon. “‘The Gastronaut’ perfectly captures this spirit. Food has a powerful ability to reconnect us with the places and moments that matter most. If this resonates with you, then you’re a foodie and Waitrose is your home”.
As part of the campaign, according to the aforementioned media, Waitrose will “send” its advertisement to the space. To do this, the brand says it will collaborate with a specialized partner to transmit the film beyond Earth, in a nod to the idea that not even the longest trip would stop a food lover from returning home to enjoy the perfect meal.
Waitrose’s celebration of food extends beyond the campaign. The company has relaunched the newspaperYour Week In Food, weekly circulation and focused on everyday moments of food and drink, with recipes, trends, expert opinions and inspiration. In addition, Waitorse has also released the new season of the “Dish” podcast.
The campaign has media planning by MG OMD and will run on television, video-on-demand platforms, cinema, social media and outdoor advertising. It will also have collaborations with influencers and activations at the point of sale.
