Aldi is a German-owned discount supermarket chain with over 10,000 stores in 20 countries, and Aldi UK is a brand that’s synonymous with quality, family and service, and teamed up with McCann UK to give birth to the amazing iconic Carrot that we know as Kevin. Aldi super fans waited in anticipation for the 5th appearance of Kevin the Carrot. Kevin is undoubtedly one of the most popular animated characters in the United Kingdom at Christmas time.
The Carrots’ first commercial appearance in 2016 was narrated by English Actor Jom Broadbent, and Kevin has since gone on to be Aldi’s Christmas mascot. Characters have been added over the years and Kevin now has a wife named Katie, along with 3 kids, Jasper, Chantony and Baby. Quite a smart play on the Carrot names.
The 2020 Campaign
Owing to the success of the previous year’s campaigns, Aldi continued to build on its winning Kevin formula. Joined by characters Harry the Hedgehog and Father Christmas(played by Jim Broadbent) the new campaign saw Kevin in a hurry to get back to his family in time for Christmas. He gets lost in the snow, but thankfully meets a friend in Harry who helps him along the way.
Quite an uncomfortable ride ensues with Kevin on the Hedgehogs prickly back, and his dream of reaching home in time continues to fade. The duo is lucky enough to run into Father Christmas who ultimately gets them there. The journey is one that is adventurous and exciting, with many bumps along the way, and culminates with Kevin’s homecoming showing him wrapped in a blanket, ET style.
Don’t fix what isn’t broken
The campaign was judged as the top-performing ads, outgoing major rivals such as John Lewis, and consistently ranks as one of the highest-rated Christmas adverts. It touches on all things that are familiar with Christmas, food, fun, family and of course, tears, and does what it intends to, which is to appeal to Aldi’s primary target audience, family.
Kevin is no longer just a heartwarming Christmas icon, but has evolved to represent the brand, and has created massive marketing opportunities with a range of merchandise. The loveable character is available with his entire family as plush toys, decorations, mugs, picture books and pyjamas. The consumers are loving it, and the retailer has had to put quantity limits on all Kevin merchandise to ensure that everyone gets a chance to bag a piece of Kevin.
The insight
Sometimes traditional is better. Aldi has shown a true display of brilliance in keeping with what works and just improving on it year after year. The retailer clearly understands its audiences needs, and, as a result, is able to give them what they want to see in terms of content that adds value. Aldi merges the ordinary and extraordinary in this brilliant campaign that celebrates the holiday season with all the emotion that comes with it.
