German supermarket Aldi has brought out a Christmas advert, featuring the return of Kevin the Carrot, a character who’s proven popular in four previous seasonal spots. As well as the spot itself, Aldi joined in the annual conversation around which is the best Christmas campaign by sending a tweet that referenced John Lewis’ offering. The store tweeted: "Can the CEO of @jlandpartners PLEASE CONTACT #KevinTheCarrot URGENTLY. Thank you." The message is both a humorous nod to the fact that John Lewis’ Christmas character Excitable Edgar the dragon is seen holding a carrot, and some good-natured trolling of Tesco, which recently received a similar message from Mel B about an image of herself that she didn’t want them using in a campaign.

Aldi has a long history of playfully incorporating other retailers’ campaigns into its own marketing – including a past John Lewis Christmas ad. The practice has contributed to Aldi’s identity as a challenger brand and lovable underdog. This is because, according to Chris Malone and Susan T. Fiske, authors of The Human Brand, "[audiences] perceive and judge corporations as if they are people.” Christmas 2019's tweet has already become a hit with audiences: it was liked 5,800 times and retweeted nearly 1,000 times in four days, with people praising Aldi for its sense of humour and success at ensuring that its own advert stays part of the conversation about the year’s greatest festive ads.

Katy Young is a Canvas8 behavioural analyst. She has a degree in American Studies and Film and an MA in Journalism. Her interests include wild swimming, thinking of podcast ideas and singing in an all-female choir.