Dawn French and the iconic M&S Fairy star in M&S Food’s block-buster Christmas campaign

In the lead-up to Christmas, Campaign Brief is shining a spotlight on the season’s most anticipated campaigns from around the globe. As these campaigns roll out, we’ll be rounding up the highlights to keep you in the loop.

 

M&S Food’s much-loved Christmas TV advert is back, and this year, it’s set to enchant audiences like never before. Featuring the return of the iconic M&S Fairy, once again voiced by the incomparable Dawn French, the 2024 campaign promises double the magic, surprise and festive cheer.

The campaign creative was led by Rich Robinson, M&S Food Head of Creative and Robbie Black, M&S Head of Marketing.

Building on last year’s winning festive formula, when the Dawn French-voiced Fairy was crowned a standout by ad testing platform System and celebrated in 2022 by Kantar as one of the most powerful and unique characters in retail, the beloved Fairy returns to TV screens nationwide today! (Monday 4th November 2024).

In an exciting plot twist and first for M&S, Dawn French will not only lend her voice to the beloved Fairy but will also make her on-screen debut, as herself.

Audiences are in for a treat as Dawn and her Fairy alter-ego share the screen for the very first time, bringing a delightful mix of humour and charm to this year’s festive storytelling.

The 6-part ad series captures the true spirit of Christmas, with M&S Food at the heart of the celebration.

Viewers can expect to be swept away by Dawn’s witty and warm performances, as she and the Fairy sprinkle a little M&S magic across Christmas gatherings, indulgent feasts, and those unforgettable festive moments.

Featuring everything you need for a truly unforgettable celebration, from 100% foolproof Our Best Ever Slow-cooked Turkey and indulgent Collection Cornish Cruncher Cauliflower Cheese to delicious Frozen Collection Raspberry & Pistachio Roulade and the heavenly Our Best Ever Yule Log. And not forgetting innovative treasures like the enchanting Santa’s Workshop Musical Light-Up Tin, filled with mesmerising optical illusions and all-butter cookie stars and the exquisitely crafted Collection Nocciolato Panettone; a true centrepiece for any festive celebration.

The first instalment showcases a stunning M&S Food Christmas spread, with a table bursting with seasonal treats – an irresistible feast that’s sure to make mouths water. As Fairy sprinkles her magic across Dawn’s home, Christmas comes alive with M&S treats, twinkling lights and heartwarming Christmas cheer.

The following five episodes build on the excitement and continue to surprise customers by unveiling more of M&S Food’s Christmas offerings, from party food guaranteed to wow and innovative gifting ideas, to show-stopping desserts, ‘Big Day’ essentials and New Years Gastro Pub delights. Each advert promises to be a feast for the eyes, highlighting the very best from M&S Food this year.

But the surprises don’t stop there. The ad airing on 17th December, will feature a festive cameo performance by none other than the world’s most successful classical singer, Katherine Jenkins. Accompanied by a joyful choir, Katherine’s appearance will provide a magical and moving addition to this year’s campaign, making it a Christmas to remember!

Sharry Cramond, M&S Food Marketing Director comments “Last year, our Fairy added something truly magical to Christmas, and this year, we’re thrilled to take it to the next level, with Dawn French herself joining the fun alongside her Fairy character! We’re always looking to push creative boundaries, and we believe this year’s campaign will leave our customers smiling and feeling super inspired. To top it off, we’re honoured to feature the incredible Katherine Jenkins, adding even more festive magic to our screens!”

Voice of Fairy, Dawn French, says “I’m absolutely thrilled to be fluttering back as Fairy this Christmas, and oh my wings, do we have a plot twist for you! Let’s just say, Fairy meeting Dawn herself was quite THE moment! Who knew we’d ever share the same screen? Magic really does happen!”

Dawn French adds, “I spent some time tasting this year’s unbelievably delicious Christmas food range from M&S… and can honestly tell you those hours might be my FAVOURITE moments from my whole year…! As for making the ads… wait ‘til you see them. We had such a laugh, and they’re so lush! Not gonna lie… Fairy was a diva. Who knew fairies could bite?!”

The six part ad series is a key highlight of M&S’s broader Christmas campaign, which promises a multi-channel launch packed with excitement!

Customers can look forward to thrilling competitions, the debut of a behind the scenes social series featuring Dawn, in-store giveaways and celebrity surprises.

Most importantly, there will be plenty of chances for customers to engage with the iconic M&S Fairy, bringing extra magic to the festive season!

Creative:
Food Head of Creative: Rich Robinson
M&S Head of Marketing: Robbie Black

Media Agency: Mindshare

Animation/live action directors: MJ Delaney, Merman | Animation/live action executive producer: Lucy Tate | Food director: Gus Filgate, Bite Collective | Executive Food producer: Alex Katz and Dom Seymour

Edit: Edit house (live action): Work Editorial | Editor (live action): Ed Cheesman | Assistant editor (live action): Ruby Browne| Edit producer (live action): Nikki Porter | Edit house (food): Marshall Street| Editor (food): John Mayes

Audio: Sound studio: Little Things | Voice recordings, sound design and mix: James Clark | Audio Producer: Chris Wrigglesworth | Music company: Wake the Town | Composer: Charlie Smith | Music Supervisor: Dominic Bastyra

Post-production: The Mill London | Creative Director: Andy Steele | Executive Producer: Mireille Antoine | Senior Producer: Chris Preston-Barnes | Animation Lead: Chris Welsby | Colour: Philip Hambi | VFX Supervisors: Mike Little (CG), Vittorio Barabani (CG), Adrian Monroy (2D), Schalk Van Der Merwe (2D), Vanessa Duquesnay (2D) | Animation Artists: George Rigby, Pamella Nabais, Ravi Panwar, Abhilash T K, Raman Bhatia, Jithin K, Amarnath Reddy E, Chinnaiya M, Devadathan K C | FX Artists: Emre Sumer, Dimitri Allonneau, Roman Vrbovsky | 2D Artists: Mithun Alex, Leah Ayinde, Oliver Chenery, Polly Gwinnett, Vipin Tripathi, Davide Metti, Rushabh Ramesh Madalkar, Chandan Kamalakar Shete, Jayant Sharma, Bhaskar Reddy Kappeta, Ashish Kumar Verma, Karthikkeyan M D, Rajashekhar Nagappa Nadiminti, Haris V K, Narina Satya Vasavi Kumar, Aman Kumar Singh, Rakhahari Ghosh, Aashna Chawla | Lighting Artists: Katie Bates, Elia Goettlicher, Tatjana Ljubimtseva, Marc Greyvenstein, Luca Maccarelli, Ravi Kant Nirala, Stacie Fina Dsouza, Ravikanth Raju, Mohanta Maji | DFX Supervisor (Bangalore): Mahesh M S | Project Lead (Bangalore): Vikas Soni | Associate Producer (Bangalore): Aisswarya J | Production Coordinator (Bangalore): Eldhose Joy | Animation Supervisor (Bangalore): Sukanta Chakraborty | Animation Lead (Bangalore): Srinivasa Rao Rella | Lighting Supervisor (Bangalore): Aritra Sarkar | Lighting Lead (Bangalore): Vishwajeet S N | Comp Supervisor (Bangalore): Nanda P V | DMP Supervisor (Bangalore): Gowri Velusamy D | Lead DMP (Bangalore): Sandipan Majumder | Comp Lead (Bangalore): Amresh Kumar & Ragesh Ramachandran | DMP: Mohan Rao, Srinath, Shanmugavel V, Jyothika S, Shanmugavel V