Borg and McEnroe reignite old rivalries in Tesco ad

by Darren Davidson, Brand Republic 29-Aug-07, 14:00

LONDON - Tennis legends John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg are to face each other again, this time in a Tesco TV ad campaign, backing its queuing policy 'one in front'.

The campaign, created by The Red Brick Road, shows McEnroe and Borg competing to see who can do their shopping fastest.

The tension builds, as first Borg then McEnroe gains the competitive edge, before they dash to the checkout to complete the final stage of the shopping trip.

McEnroe wins the race to the tills, but Borg is only seconds behind him, and just as McEnroe is about to celebrate his victory, a Tesco checkout team leader spots that Borg is in the queue behind him and offers to open another till.

Launched in 1994, "one in front" aims to reduce queuing in stores by opening extra checkouts if there is more than one customer in front of another at the till.

The 50-second spot was written by Sam Cartmell, art directed by Jason Lawes, and directed by Neil Harris out of Stink, with Paul Weinberger as creative director.