GREGGS
X NIGELLA
Context
For the launch of the iconic Greggs Festive Bake, Greggs wanted to shine during the bustling Christmas season, stand out from competitors, and highlight their delicious
Christmas menu.
Strategy
If Greggs was going to be the official starting gun of Christmas, it needed to be more than the Festive Bake. Our research found that whilst people were still feeling the pinch of the ongoing cost of living crisis, that wasn’t stopping them treating themselves (especially in the Christmas build-up). The magic is in the little moments, and nobody serves them up better than Greggs.
Solution
We teamed up with the Christmas queen herself, Nigella Lawson. As someone who doesn’t take herself too seriously and can deliver thumb-stopping content, she was key to out-sparkling competitors with a fun, newsworthy and saucy festive brand moment.
Out-voicing competitors on a fraction of the budget!
Awards
PR Moment Awards / 2025 / Campaign of the Year (over £50k)
The Drum Awards / 2025 / Gold for Partnership
Nigella, known for her playful and down-to-earth personality, is the last person you'd expect to front a Greggs campaign – making her the perfect choice. In the hero edit, I wanted the art direction to have an angelic, yet ironically cheesy, premium Christmas vibe, like Nigella was talking about her luxurious cooking – only to reveal, in the end, that it’s all about good old Greggs. The ad is loaded with playful innuendos and classic Greggs humour, making Nigella's irresistible allure even more tempting.
To work alongside the launch, I designed a visual identity for the Greggs Christmas Menu, blending festive elegance with irony. This was applied to PR boxes shaped like a festive cookbook, sent to influencers and Greggs VIPs. The boxes quickly went viral on social media and even featured in a teaser ad with Nigella herself.
Results
The buzz started before we even launched. Nigella leaving the Greggs shoot – festive bag in hand – was paparazzi gold.
When the campaign finally dropped, it exploded. Social lit up. Fans swooned. Critics applauded. Coverage rolled in – over 1,520 articles, with more than 70 in nationals. We featured on Good Morning Britain, Lorraine and countless radio stations.
Social chatter hit 7.3 million.
Engagements topped 400,000.
On just 10–15% of the budget, Greggs out-voiced Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Aldi and John Lewis.
The campaign reached 37 million people – that’s 92% of UK adults – racking up a whopping 4.56 billion opportunities to see. And the nation loved it, with less than 1% negative sentiment.
This magical depiction was directed by duo Si&Ad, with production from Academy Films, and VFX by Selected Works. I worked closely with my creative partner Jess West (Copywriter), as well as the rest of the amazing team at Drummond Central.