Behold the ‘Gastronaut’

Grocery store chains do not often try advertising campaigns that are ‘out there’, sticking to common formats like weekly ads stuffed into mailboxes or inserted into newspapers. However, Waitrose recently took a giant leap for mankind by launching a new brand campaign that reaches for the stars – literally. It features advertisements centered around an astronaut named Michael who is so bored by space food that he makes a beeline back to Earth.

As he zips back home, Michael looks back on food memories, eventually ending up at Waitrose for his favorite meal, prawn linguine. The new campaign is part of an effort to position Waitrose as the “home of food lovers” and coincides with the relaunch of the ‘Waitrose Weekend’ newspaper as ‘Your Week In Food’ that will arrive in stores every Wednesday. Also in connection with this new campaign, the Dish podcast moves to weekly episodes and the loyalty program ‘My Waitrose’ will morph into the ‘Food Lovers Club’.

Not content with broadcasting this campaign to Earthlings, Waitrose is taking the unusual step of beaming it to space. It has partnered with a company to transmit the film beyond Earth, seen as “a tongue-in-cheek nod to the idea that even the furthest journey wouldn’t stop a food lover coming home for the right meal.”