JD unveils blockbuster Christmas campaign ‘King of the Game’

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
Nov 9, 2022

In a bold statement, retailer JD said its new Christmas ad campaign “celebrates the best of British talent, cementing its ‘Undisputed at Christmas’ position and status as the No 1 destination for sports style”, no less.

“Staying true to its roots”, the ‘King of the Game’ campaign “heroes the best in British youth culture… celebrating the spirit of competition and the magic of Christmas”.

In a star-packed TV ad campaign, which is also running in over 800 cinemas nationwide from 11 November, it features a line-up of 32 famous faces from sport, entertainment, and music culture, including Kano, KSI, Antony Joshua, Slowthai, Jasmine Jobson and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

And with the England women’s football team celebrations still fresh and the men’s World Cup around the corner, “JD has drawn inspiration from competition to create this year’s blockbuster festive campaign, inviting everyone to be king in their own chosen pursuit”.

Created by creative agency Cake, the TVC is soundtracked by Kano’s “culture-defining” grime track ‘P’s & Q’s’. The spot opens with a family Christmas shopping trip, featuring JD’s protagonist from last year, played by actor Cole Weallean-Watts. As the boredom kicks in, social media star Chukz catches his eye and signals to an illuminated ‘JD Arcade’.

Entering a JD Arcade dreamworld, KSI and Tobi Brown can be spotted challenging each other on the dance machine, while British rappers Bugzy Malone, Knucks and Arrdee are seen battling it out on the air hockey table, alongside British boxing’s Joshua. Top Boy’s Jobson also makes a special appearance alongside Alexander-Arnold, with a wealth of football talent, including Thiago Silva, Virgil van Dijk James Maddison, Harvey Elliott and Euro 2022 goal scorers Ella Toone and Chloe Kelly, visiting the JD Arcade to harness their competitive spirit. 

Rap talent, Central Cee takes on the top score on the pinball machine, with Slowthai and Ms Banks also appearing within the JD Arcade. Grime pioneer Kano makes a guest appearance, with cameos from other well-known figures including Amaria BB (music artist), Kojey Radical (Mercury Award nominated music artist), Ethan Matthews and Laurie Elle (TikTok stars), Fumez The Engineer (music producer), Ojerime (R&B artist), Harry Pinero (YouTuber & presenter), PK Humble (comedian), Snoochie Shy (presenter), Joanna Chimonides (TV personality), R.A.E (music artist) and Amelia Dimoldenberg (YouTuber & TV presenter).

The 30-second ad will appear during key English Premier League and World Cup games, running in cinemas for six weeks nationwide. Its debut blockbuster appearance will be in trailers screened before ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ on  11 November. During the Marvel film’s first week, the full length two-minute ad will preview in 68 selected cinemas so movie-goers can appreciate the mind-bending arcade experience in 4K with surround sound. Consumers can also catch JD’s festive offering at other big-screen titles including Avatar, Black Adam and Shazam! Fury of the Gods. 

Inviting consumers to play against their friends and become ‘King of the Game’ a real life ‘JD Arcade’ will be rolled out via a tour of JD stores in Newcastle, London, West Midlands, Bristol, Manchester and Glasgow, featuring classic arcade gaming machines as well as the JD Christmas App game. Consumers who spend in store will receive a token that gives them the chance to play, where instant prizes can be claimed and redeemed in time for Christmas.

As one of JD's biggest OOH buys of the year, Routemaster busses are also being fully wrapped, alongside taxi and tram takeovers and huge banners across key cities such as London, Dublin, Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow.