By Allison Watkinson
TLL Reporter
Roald Dahl’s the BFG is back, returning for a third consecutive Christmas advertising campaign with the major grocery chain Sainsbury’s.
The campaign featuring the Big Friendly Giant has been incredibly popular with British consumers since it debuted in in 2024, so it’s not surprising to see Sainsbury’s and the Roald Dahl Story Company joining forces for a third season.
The Roald Dahl Story Company manages the stories and characters of author Roald Dahl. The company says his books have sold more than 300 million copies worldwide and been translated into 68 languages.
“We’re delighted to bring the BFG back for a third consecutive Christmas campaign. It has been fantastic to see him become such a much-loved part of the festive season for audiences,” said Alice O’Brien, head of global commercial partnerships at the Roald Dahl Story Company. “The Roald Dahl stories are so rich in imagination and detail, and this year it has been especially exciting to explore more of the craggy mystical Giant Country and bring a new chapter of the BFG’s world to screen in a way that feels authentic to the original story.
“It’s a testament to the enduring appeal of these characters that there is still such warmth and enthusiasm for seeing more of their world brought to life.”
This year’s campaign follows the character into Giant Country. In the story, the BFG is feeling under the weather and worried he might miss Christmas. Annie, a returning Sainsbury’s colleague, sets out with her sidekick Fred to deliver a festive feast through Giant Country. Along the way, they face obstacles, including an enormous Squizzly Scotch-Hopper and the mischievous Greedy Giant, before arriving at the BFG’s cave to share a Christmas meal.
The campaign premiered on television in the UK on Sunday, Nov. 1. The full two-minute film also launched on Sainsbury’s YouTube channel. The 90-second advert will be supported by 60-, 30- and 20-second films across television, social media and online platforms.
The ad was created by New Commercial Arts, Sainsbury’s creative agency, and was directed by Sam Brown through Rogue Films, with visual effects and post-production by Electric Theatre Collective.
Born Licensing, which represents the Roald Dahl Story Company on its global partnership strategy, facilitated the creative collaboration between the licensor and New Commercial Arts. The companies said the teams worked together to keep the creative interpretation faithful to the characters and the world of the original story.
David Born, CEO of Born Licensing, said using familiar characters can benefit advertisers over time.
“Fictional characters are already one of the most effective tools in advertising, because audiences know and love them before a campaign even starts. When a brand features the same character year after year, it gets a compounding benefit, with each campaign building on the last,” Born said. “The BFG was already cherished by British families, and each Sainsbury’s campaign has taken the story further, this year right into Giant Country.”
Born Licensing is a licensing agent focused solely on licensing entertainment-based intellectual property for advertising and marketing. It represents rights holders including Universal Studios, King Features, Hasbro, StudioCanal, and Sesame Workshop, and says it has relationships with others, including Disney and Warner Bros.
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