W+K's first Sainsbury's film shoots kitchens in mono and only the food in colour

The endline 'Live Well for Less' had run for years without much meaning; the new agency had to imbue it — living well is not about lots of money, it's the simple things.

People dance while cooking, in black and white where only the food is in colour, set to an original 'Yum Yum Yum' song by ex-Sainsbury's employee MysDiggi.

A 60-second film directed by Siri Bunford through Knucklehead ends '#fooddancing is living well'. Print ads pair black-and-white portraits of dancing people with colour food shots under big bold orange type.

No results reported. The campaign stood as W+K London's opening statement on an account it took after four decades of AMV BBDO work.

After Sainsbury's ended nearly forty years with AMV BBDO in 2016 — whose farewell was the Christmas film 'The Greatest Gift' — Wieden+Kennedy London debuted its first campaign for the supermarket in early 2017: 'Food Dancing'.

The 60-second film shows people dancing around the kitchen while preparing meals, shot in black and white except for the food, which stands out in full colour. It is set to an original song by UK musician and former Sainsbury's employee MysDiggi built on a 'Yum Yum Yum' refrain, and closes with '#fooddancing is living well' ahead of the 'Live Well for Less' tagline.

Creative directors Scott Dungate and Sophie Bodoh told Creative Review the aim was to finally give the long-running endline meaning: living well is the simple stuff — the radio on, food cooking, a little dance in kitchens across Britain. Print ads extended the device, contrasting authentic black-and-white portraits with colourful food shots and bold orange type.

Selective colour turns a production trick into the argument: in a mono world, good food is the vivid thing worth dancing about.

Casting the soundtrack from a genuine ex-employee keeps the 'living well' story authentic rather than aspirational.

A look 'totally different to what else was going on in the category' separated Sainsbury's from rival supermarket ads at a glance.

A constraint as art direction — everything mono, only the product in colour — makes the food the hero without saying a word about price.

The campaign marked the start of W+K London's Sainsbury's era after the agency win in August 2016. No performance figures were reported at launch.