ALDI takes on Christmas spending squeeze with 'Time to Shine'

ALDI has joined Australia's Christmas advertising festivities with a wonderfully strange campaign from BMF featuring a family made entirely of tinsel who, after a long year, have quite literally lost their sparkle.

The 'Time to Shine' campaign introduces the Tinsleys, a Christmas-loving family who usually go all out for the festive season. But this year, they're looking a little flat, until an affordable Christmas spread from ALDI helps bring them back to their glittering best.

It's an appropriately offbeat take on Christmas from a retailer that has long embraced its 'Good Different' positioning, injecting some humour into the annual supermarket battle for festive spending.

The campaign follows Christmas advertising launches from Coles and Woolworths earlier this week, with all three supermarket giants now vying for a share of Australians' Christmas grocery budgets.

Behind the tinsel and festive absurdity is a familiar ALDI message: shoppers shouldn't have to spend a fortune to put on a good Christmas.

“With more than half of our Christmas range priced under $5, we're making it easier for Australians to enjoy the traditions they love while getting great value on their Christmas shop,” Jenny Melhuish, marketing director at ALDI, said via a press release.

The retailer is promoting everything from glazed ham and French champagne to lobster tails, prawns and festive treats, with more than half of its Christmas range priced under $5.

David Fraser, executive creative director at BMF, said the campaign plays on the exhaustion many Australians might be feeling towards the end of the year.

“It's been a big year, and even a family made of tinsel is feeling a little less shiny than usual,” Fraser said.

The integrated campaign runs across television, online video, cinema, radio, digital audio, social, out-of-home, display and retail channels.

BMF developed the creative, with Zenith Media Australia handling media, Digitas Australia supporting digital and Ogilvy PR overseeing public relations.

The campaign continues ALDI's tradition of using unconventional humour to differentiate itself from its larger supermarket rivals, while keeping its longstanding price proposition firmly in view.