Tesco Christmas ad driver backlash met a new campaign on 1 November, when Tesco launched The Wrong Address with a 60-second TV debut on ITV. The Christmas film follows a delivery mix-up that turns into a reunion, putting Anna Maxwell Martin and Roisin Conaty at the center of Tesco's seasonal message.
The three-minute commercial casts Maxwell Martin as Lizzie, who accidentally sends a large Christmas grocery order to her former address. Conaty plays Polly, a delivery driver who recognises the name of an old school friend and suggests meeting halfway to hand over the groceries.
Anna Maxwell Martin and Roisin Conaty
The story moves from a simple delivery error to an unexpected meeting between two women who have not seen each other for years. They reminisce about their past and reconnect, while Tesco uses the longer format to build the narrative around a single journey instead of a series of short scenes.
Felipe Serradourada Guimarães, chief creative officer at BBH London and Dublin, said the campaign aimed to keep the humour and relatability of everyday situations while giving them a broader narrative framework. BBH London created the campaign, Steve Rogers directed it, and Biscuit Filmworks UK and Revolver handled production.
Need Anything from Tesco?
The campaign builds on Need Anything from Tesco?, introduced earlier this year, and uses The Police's Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic. Tesco is extending The Wrong Address across stores, Clubcard and social media, while the Tesco Kitchen series is due back during November. Santa's Grotto Christmas events are also planned in stores across the United Kingdom.
The shift matters because Tesco is tying a wrong-address delivery story to a reunion rather than treating it as a simple mistake. That puts the campaign in a different place from last year's series of short everyday situations and gives the brand a single story to carry across TV, stores and digital channels.
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
The first showing came during Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? on ITV, giving the campaign a prime TV launch point on 1 November. For viewers, the immediate takeaway is straightforward: Tesco has moved its Christmas advertising into a longer, story-led format, and the rest of the season will test how far that approach travels beyond television.
