sainsburys fooddancing

Sainsbury’s fooddancing ad has also been backed by with an in-store campaign

Sainsbury’s #fooddancing ad has generated an overwhelmingly positive response on Twitter, analysis from social media monitoring company Brandwatch has shown.

The ad has attracted 6,788 mentions on Twitter since its launch on 18 January and, of the tweets that expressed an opinion, 89% were positive and only 11% were negative.

The Wieden+Kennedy ad didn’t generate the same level of response as the Sainsbury’s blockbuster Christmas execution, which attracted 32,000 mentions in a shorter time frame, but Brandwatch said it was an average figure for a standard ad not linked to a particular event.

The #fooddancing ad marked a dramatic departure from Sainsbury’s traditional marketing and, under the guidance of newly appointed ad agency Wieden+Kennedy, it targeted younger customers by creating a track available to dowload on Spotify and by promoting the hashtag on Twitter.


The campaign was ramped up on Valentine’s Day, when Sainsbury’s posted a themed version of the ad and created a #fooddancing playlist on Spotify for the occasion.

Although some Twitter users complained the campaign was “confusing” and made them “cringe”, others praised the “fantastic” and “catchy” ad.

Dan Staples, agency director at digital invention company Fat Unicorn, said the decision to film the ad on technology such as a GoPro and iPhone had made it more relatable to the audience.

”To film the series instantly makes it more accessible to the everyday consumer who would want to take part in the campaign. Rather than shooting the ad in a studio with all of the latest gadgets, Sainsbury’s have taken the campaign back to basics and demonstrated a grassroots understanding of how its fans would choose to communicate in today’s digital-first world,” he said.

The approach gave it a “real life” feel, said Tash Walker, founder of The Mix London. ”

”The bold shots of beautifully prepared food are closer to a lifestyle brand than the warm, hazy, and frankly unrealistic images we’re used to seeing from a supermarket,” she said. ” The move to stark black and white shots marks a dramatic change of creative direction, and the hugely positive response on social shows it certainly resonates with the real people that brands try so hard to understand.”

Joanna Ayre, senior content strategist at Glass Digital Media, said the decision to communicate the brand subtly – mainly through flashes of orange – was an effective way to advertise Sainsbury’s. 

”It reminds us that this content has been created by Sainsbury’s but without the feel of an advertisement – something that is becoming increasingly important when creating content designed to be shared by the modern digital-first audience,” she said.

”The release of this video is well-timed. Launched in January, many consumers are suffering from the post-Christmas winter blues, as well as being in the midst of uncertain political times; Sainsbury’s timely message brings fun, joy and escapism through food.”