libby connolly

There’s been an awful lot of focus on the grocers’ Christmas TV ads and much less discussion of how they have approached their in-store printed brochures.

That is an oversight because the point at which a company gets a tangible manifestation of its brand in a consumer’s hands is the real moment of truth.

Yet the mults appear to have made a disappointingly small splash. Yes, all have invested in good photography, but beyond that there’s little new and not much to say. According to Sainsbury’s, ‘Christmas is for sharing’ although its beautifully styled imagery makes me feel like keeping it all to myself. Morrisons is encouraging us all to Make it a Magical Christmas, but its brochure work is anything but magical (it even has advertising in its gift guide which just feels odd: I mean really, the brochure itself is advertising… it’s like a dream within a dream). And Asda is pinning its hopes on its #becauseitschristmas campaign without actually including any real thematic link.

Tesco’s gift guide, however, is a genuine surprise, which demonstrates how every little on the production budget really does help. With premium matt stock and perfect binding, Tesco has really premiumised its brochure - and with a sweet ‘letter to Santa’ template, it’s doing a good job of getting further into the hearts and homes of the masses.

There’s a surprise at the premium end of the market, too, and that comes from Waitrose. I want with all my heart for Waitrose to blow me away, and yet from a brand and production perspective, it almost feels like there was a mistake when it budgeted for Christmas. The Food to Order catalogue wouldn’t look out of place alongside Sainsbury’s, and its Christmas Newspaper might have worked if it was a remotely interesting read.

Waitrose should be competing with Booths’ always beautiful and impossible to throw away Christmas Guide and M&S’s beautifully produced aspirational yet achievable Big Book of Christmas and its perfect-bound Food to Order brochure. I’m sorry Waitrose, but I’m out.

But when it comes to Lidl, I’m in. The value sector has definitely upped its game. Lidl has absolutely nailed it. While Aldi’s only nod to Christmas promotional materials is an edition of its Specialbuys, the #LidlSurprises Christmas brochure looks more at home in the premium sector. Perfect bound, with matt stock, metallic spot print, beautifully styled and shot, this is a really exciting move from Lidl and one that continues to demonstrates how Lidl’s brand strategy is more akin to that of John Lewis than its value rivals.

It seems like Lidl is shooting for the (Man on the) Moon in more ways than one!

Libby Connolly is project director at the Brand Nursery