METRO and Serviceplan call for support of the hospitality industry all over the world at Christmas

Cristina Blanaru Ads, Creativity

METRO has launched an extensive international campaign on TV and online, which will be shown in up to 18 countries. It draws the attention of consumers to the challenges faced by the food service industry during the Covid-19 pandemic in the Christmas period, and at the same time offers them an opportunity for a pleasant respite from the challenges of their everyday lives during lockdown. The campaign film was created by Serviceplan Campaign Hamburg.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has already led to high revenue losses in the hospitality industry this year. No real recovery is expected in the coming months either, due to continuing restrictions. To support its partners and clients in the food service industry, METRO is launching an extensive TV and digital campaign aimed at consumers. The idea and implementation of the Christmas film was developed by METRO’s global creative agency, Serviceplan Campaign Hamburg.

The objective of the global “Give your kitchen a break” campaign, is to encourage as many people as possible to order their favorite menu for this year’s festive season at a restaurant near them. Following recent months, during which daily life – including all its new and old challenges – has taken place in people’s homes for most of the time, now at least the kitchen at home gets a break.

Gisele Musa, VP / Global Director Branding METRO commented:

“#GiveYourKitchenABreak is another proof of our brand purpose, of how we are championing independent gastronomy in every possible way. Usually our communication is targeted for business people, but this time we stretched our audience, also in terms of media spent, to connect with the general public. Because of the pandemic, the gastronomy business is having the hardest time ever; but also people are fed up with their lockdown home situation. And this was the insight to send out an invitation to the whole society to play a role, to show their support while enjoying giving their kitchen a break by ordering Christmas menu from independent restaurants. It allows gastronomy to keep serving and people can still enjoy all the choices around them. A perfect combination for this special Christmas.”

At the center of the campaign is a film that will be used internationally on TV and online. The video describes the every-day-life of a regular family during recent months. The featured family´s story mirrors the current situation of many families: during lockdown life solely takes place in one´s own home: home-office, home-schooling, cooking meals or doing online gym classes at home.

Enjoying nice food, making preparations for the festive season and spending quality time together often fall short because of the challenges faced during everyday life during this unprecedented pandemic. So, to make life easier at Christmas, instead of cooking your own food, the festive menu is ordered and delivered by a nearby restaurant.

“Christmas is the season of joy. That’s what we want to focus on in our campaign film – on the one hand, the joy within the family, which creates time for relaxing and spending time together through taking a break in the kitchen, while at the same time doing a good deed and supporting independent restaurants.” says Michael Schneider, Managing Director of Serviceplan Campaign Hamburg.

METRO is a leading international wholesale company with food and non-food assortments that specialises on serving the needs of hotels, restaurants and caterers (HoReCa) as well as independent traders. Around the world, METRO has some 16 million customers who can choose whether to shop in one of the large-format stores, order online and collect their purchases at the store or have them delivered. METRO in addition also supports the competitiveness of entrepreneurs and own businesses with digital solutions and thereby contributes to cultural diversity in retail and hospitality. Sustainability is a key pillar of METRO’s business. METRO has been listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for 6 consecutive years. The company operates in 34 countries and employs more than 100,000 people worldwide. In financial year 2018/19, METRO generated sales of €27.1 billion.

CREDITS:

METRO AG:

  • Gisele Musa: Global Director Branding
  • Anila Brahmakulam: Head of Branding – Media management
  • António Mário Simoes Costa: Media & Content Management
  • Christa Wellershoff: Head of Branding, Campaign management
  • Alicja Korkosz – Head of Branding
  • Sonika Grotjans: Brand Management
  • David Fehlberg: Head of Branding
  • Nina Zeiler: Head of Branding
  • Brigitte Taylor: Brand Management

Serviceplan Campaign Hamburg

  • Michael Schneider: Managing Director 
  • Silke Schilling: Client Service Director
  • Henrik Haake; Head of Brand Digitization
  • Roland Raith: Executive Creative Director
  • Kolja Danquah: Executive Creative Director
  • Davide Zicca: Senior Copywriter
  • Vladimir Vascalup: Senior Art Director
  • Elkateb Mohamed: Junior Art Director
  • Stefan Griesche: Junior Art Director
  • Janina Elena Janzen: Junior Art Director Digital
  • Jonas Brinkhege: Junior Copywriter
  • Wiebke Müller: Senior Account Manager

Serviceplan Strategy

  • Adam Bekassy: Strategy Director 
  • Michael Makowiecki: Senior Strategist
  • Christine Schulz: Strategy Consultant

Production Credits:

  • Director: Knut Burgdorf
  • DoP: Christian Huck
  • Editor: Sören Görth
  • Production: IAM Image GmbH, Hamburg
  • Producer: Nicolas Mirbach
  • 1st AD: Gregor Budde-Petrusch
  • Grading: Mike Bothe 
  • Postproduction: Hochkant Film GmbH & Co. KG, Munich
  • Music: 2wei Music, Hamburg
  • Sound Mix & VO: LOFT Sound Studios, Hamburg
  • Service Production Slovenia: BAS Production
  • Line Producer: Andrej Caruso
  • Styling: Valter Kobal
  • Art Director: Maja Moravec