Aldi brings back Kevin the Carrot for ninth festive outing
Kevin the Carrot, who is returning in a Mission Impossible-style ad, has been starring in Aldi’s ads since 2016 and has previously scored impressively in the fiercely contested Christmas effectiveness rankings.
Aldi is bringing back its festive brand mascot Kevin the Carrot for the ninth year in a row in its 2024 Christmas ad.
The vegetable mascot first debuted for the discount supermarket in 2016, and has scored Aldi considerable success in the effectiveness rankings since. Last year, Kevin the Carrot put Aldi on top of System1’s UK Christmas ad ranking, with a festive version of Charlie and the Chocolate factory.
It achieved the maximum score of 5.9 stars on System1’s ranking. It was the fifth year in a row the discount supermarket broke the five-star barrier for its Christmas advert starring Kevin. Aldi’s 2023 offering was also ranked as the seventh most powerful ad by Kantar for that festive season.
This year, Aldi hopes to replicate that success with a new escapade for Kevin. Like previous outings for the brand character, it has been inspired by a famous film as Kevin embarks on an “impossible mission”, inspired by the Tom Cruise classic.
Set in a festive village, Kevin the Carrot and his wife Katie are tasked by Santa to save the “Spirit of Christmas” after it has been kidnapped by a group of evil “humbugs”.
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In the 90-second film, the festive village is plunged into darkness as the Spirit of Christmas is trapped at the humbug headquarters after being zoomed away in a black and white van by the humbugs.
Santa uses his speed dial to call for help – and Keven and Katie use clever disguises as ‘vegetable spies’ alongside humorous ‘booby traps’ to save the day.
As the spirit is ‘freed’, the town comes to life, with the sparkles transitioning to a dinner table full of Aldi Christmas food, with items from the range also highlighted throughout the ad.
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On the return of Kevin, marketing director at Aldi UK Jemma Townsend, says: “Would it even be Christmas without Kevin the Carrot on our screens? We’re delighted to bring back everyone’s favourite carrot for a ninth year to help the nation get into the Christmas spirit.”
When Kevin first debuted in 2016, the ad only scored three stars on System1’s effectiveness rankings, but Aldi has been able to build the equity of the character since then, providing an example of how consistency can pay off for brands. With the brand character now having appeared in nine consecutive Christmas ads, Kevin has become a distinctive asset for the supermarket.
The supermarket chain also reported record-breaking Christmas profits last year, recording 8% growth for the four weeks to 24 December, with sales totalling £1.5bn.
It recently pledged “record” investment as part of an £800m expansion plan after it posted strong sales for the 12 months ending December 2023, up 16% from to £17.9bn.
