Supermarket chain Aldi launched a new holiday campaign in the UK that parodies a famous Coca-Cola ad. The spot stars Kevin the Carrott, a well-known character that features in Aldi’s irreverent holiday advertising campaigns.
When Kevin the Carrot’s jaunt through town goes horribly wrong, Aldi leaves its mascot hanging in a precarious spot with a hashtag to invite conversation.
The holiday spot begins like Coca-Cola’s classic “Holidays are Coming” ads—a semi truck, covered in lights, enters a darkened town before revealing that Kevin the Carrot, Aldi’s mascot, is driving. He waves at a curious little girl, then steers the truck onto a dangerous turn.
A small avalanche causes Kevin to swerve, causing the trailer to hang precariously over a cliff. As his cargo slides dangerously toward the edge, the teaser ends in a literal ‘cliffhanger’ with the hashtag #SaveKevin.
The spot has garnered quite a bit of engagement on social media, with nearly half a million views, over 11,000 shares and over 4,500 comments on Facebook alone.
Kevin starred in Aldi’s 2017 campaign, finding love among a holiday feast. The 12-part campaign ended with a picture of Kevin with his new wife, Katie, and three unnamed carrot children. Give last year’s lengthy campaign, and the early start for this year’s ad, viewers can expect this story to extend well into the season.
Some consumers have quickly become invested in Kevin’s fate, calling for his salvation on behalf of the family.
Just a hard working carrot trying to support his family and you's do this to him! Think about Katie and the kids.. the kids! 🙁 #SaveKevin https://t.co/WucBRo7Sd4
— Kellie Kearns (@KellieKearns) November 2, 2018
Kevin’s animated, child-like appearance has regulators concerned about his activity, too. One of Aldi’s 2017 holiday ads was pulled by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for concerns about promoting alcohol to children.
Other users expressed disappointment that Aldi’s 2018 Coca-Cola spoof wasn’t the real thing.
Coca-Cola’s original ad has become so iconic that it was used in another recent parody. Green Peace launched a campaign during the 2017 holidays that depicts a bedazzled truck delivering holiday joy and along with it, a whole lot of plastic waste.
Either the ad worked or the company was already aware of its shortcomings, because Coca-Cola announced a plastic recycling initiative in January.
