What Holiday Messages Should Grocers Be Delivering?

Many holiday commercials from supermarkets continue the year-long focus on savings, but others have reached for the funny bone or arrived with a more sentimental tone showing how food can bring people together.

Kroger: “The Case of the Disappearing Food”

Created by adam&eveDDB New York, Kroger’s holiday commercial, “The Case of the Disappearing Food,” celebrates “the joy of togetherness and connecting with loved ones through food,” according to a statement from Kroger.

Set to the “Lonely People” hit by America from 1974, Kroger’s animated holiday short shows a boy stealthily stealing Christmas cookies from his home to surprise his lonely elderly neighbor, reigniting her holiday spirit. The closing tagline reads, “Share your food, share your heart.”

“At Kroger, we understand how food can transcend differences, cure loneliness and speak from our hearts in a way that words cannot,” said Stuart Aitken, Kroger SVP and chief merchant and marketing officer. “What we love about this film is how it so acutely illustrates the power of food to bring people together and express kindness. We hope this message — share your food, share your heart — inspires families, friends and neighbors to pull up an extra seat at their table this holiday season and revel in the simple joy of being together.”

IGA: “Paulo’s Wish”

Quebec grocer IGA’s animated “Paulo’s Wish” spot — its seventh animated short, running 1:30 minutes — features a boy using food to reunite two long-estranged sisters for the holidays. The tagline: “Say it with food.”

“Our goal with the seventh edition [of the annual animated holiday campaign] was to show how food can be a way for people to make amends, and that it can speak for us when the words simply won’t come,” Quentin Fachon, director at agency partner Sid Lee said.

ALDI: “Swindle Season”

ALDI brought back its “Swindle Season” holiday spots from Leo Burnett that poke fun at holiday stress. In one execution, “Win the Holidays,” features a granddaughter acing the holiday dinner with the help of ALDI, much to the surprise of her judgmental grandmother. A second, “Escape to the Holidays” (shown below), lampoons the crowded aisles and exaggerated markups at traditional grocers around holiday times while pitching ALDI as an alternative for everyday low prices and shopping ease. The tagline: “It’s an ALDI Thing.” 

ALDI noted that according to a 2024 study by Vericast, 56% of consumers feel pressured to spend more to make their holiday meals stand out, with 66% prioritizing price.

“The holidays are a stressful time of year and with national grocery prices still high, we brought back our Swindle Season campaign to show ALDI is still the place to shop for the best price and quality this holiday season,” said Greg Strom, group director of customer interaction at ALDI. “Whether you are trying to build a charcuterie board or make grandma’s heirloom dessert, ALDI makes it easy to get in and out of the store quickly and affordably without all the loopholes you have to jump through at other retailers to get a deal.”