Waitrose seeks a pudding thief in its Christmas 'whodunnit' ad

It’s the most exhausting time of the year.

Buy presents. Cook food. See family. Eat the food. Drink the drink. Wear a jumper. Formulate an original opinion on the John Lewis Christmas ad. See more family. Formulate more opinions. It’s easy to forget to have fun.

That’s why we love Sweet Suspicion: A Waitrose Mystery. It’s really fun.

Cutting through at Christmas is hard. It’s the one time of year people actually want to watch ads.

So everyone does one. And they follow a formula. A wholesome Christmas story, a little borrowing from culture, dial the 'wholesome-ness' up to 11. And it’s happily ever after within 90 seconds.

That’s why it’s no surprise that Waitrose x Knives Out offers some... cut-through. (Not sorry). Murder mysteries are all the rage, and this one is out to kill some Christmas cliches.

The casting is brilliant. You get the thrill of “OOH IT’S THAT PERSON! FROM THAT THING I LOVE!” approximately every 2 seconds, which is carried by great editing. None of it drags. Unlike actual Christmas Day. (Still not sorry).

Succession meets Fleabag ft. Joe Wilkinson is the Christmas crossover we never knew we needed. And now we need a full-length spin-off, please and thanks.

Alongside entertaining us, the products shine through nicely, connected to each character. And the one that’s the hero - the pudding itself - is the one we don’t only see very briefly. (Kudos to the client for letting that happen). The out-of-home is lovely too.

It isn’t all happily ever after just yet either…. roll on part two.

Credits

Campaign Title: Sweet Suspicion
Client: Waitrose
Advertising Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi
Media Buying Agency: Manning Gottlieb OMD
AV Production Company: Smuggler
Director: Lucy Forbes
Score: Soundtree
Music: Wake The Town
Track: ‘Steal Away’ By Robbie Dupree
Lead image source: Waitrose