Waitrose' communication strategy was to position their stores as the "only place to be this Christmas". The idea needed to communicate this and give reasons to shop in Waitrose, not just during December for the "big Christmas shop", but right from the start of November and ultimately increase sales in the run-up to Christmas. GNM's idea was very simple, a stand alone Observer Food Monthly (OFM) Christmas issue in association with Waitrose, providing a source of reference for our 'foodie' audience with tips and ideas that they could use throughout the festive season

To position the Waitrose store as the only place to be this Christmas.

This was a print only campaign that consisted of the stand alone OFM Christmas issue in association with Waitrose. In addition we ran promotional ads in G1 and G2 in the week leading up to the publication. These were in the form of fractional ads and helped raise awareness and heighten interest of the forthcoming issue. Furthermore a bespoke advertorial was created to run inside the Christmas issue, creating a platform through which to showcase a selection of Waitrose's hero products and the Waitrose Christmas recipe book. Finally a competition was created to win £500 (V).

OFM is positioned as the 'food lovers bible' and delivered Waitrose the strong upmarket, urban 'foodie' market they wanted for this campaign. The Christmas issue provided readers with a keep-able magazine that they could refer to throughout the festive season adding to campaign longevity. Furthermore the competition received a phenomenal 9,292 entries - impressive for a print only campaign, demonstrating the strength of the OFM product at delivering the right audience for Waitrose.

The OFM Christmas issue was written and designed by the OFM editorial team; this added to the weight and influence of the content and enabled us to leverage their expertise and contacts. It gave Waitrose true association with our leading food brand and we were able to gain access to high profile chefs like Gordon Ramsey and Giorgio Locatelli which would add to consumer appeal and talk-ability.