Sobeys is bringing back its classic 1987 Star of Christmas jingle in Atlantic Canada in support of local food banks during holiday season.

The supermarket chain has created a limited-edition Star of Christmas holiday ornament in the shape of a silver star that plays the original 1987 jingle. Beginning Dec. 2, the company will donate 100% of the proceeds from each ornament sold at Sobeys, Foodland and participating Atlantic Canada co-ops to local food banks that help East Coast communities.

Erika DeHaas, VP of corporate marketing at Sobeys, tells strategy that for many people in the East, the jingle is a nostalgic song that recalls the Christmas holidays. It appeared as part of a Sobeys TV commercial in 1987 and pulled on customers’ heartstrings, says DeHaas.

“What’s amazing about this nostalgic Sobeys commercial and the jingle is that it feels like it really belongs to East Coasters. We hear from people who have such fond memories of the song and the commercial that when they hear it, it makes it feel to them like the holidays have officially arrived each year,” she says. “It was so popular we continued to run it for many years after in the region, even featuring the song back in different iterations over the last 20 years as well.”

The initiative also ties in with the brand’s roots, which has been focused for several years on supporting communities across Canada, including local food banks. In fiscal 2024, the brand says it has raised more than $23 million in funds, and has donated $17 million through partnerships and strategic initiatives, more than $675,000 through its Community Action Fund and a streamlined online application process, and $1.63 million from individual stores.

“As Canada’s Family Grocery Store, we’ve always stood behind our Sobeys values of a family nurturing families, and our support for communities runs deep across Canada. While we’re of course supporting local food banks on a national level over the holidays, as we do annually, we wanted this year’s particular Star of Christmas initiative to be for Atlantic Canadian customers,” DeHaas says.

With this year’s initiative, Sobeys is primarily targeting Atlantic Canadians over the age of 35, a core group that has strong nostalgic ties to the jingle.

As part of the media plan, the brand has partnered with the East Coast Carolling, a professional Halifax-based group, and two of the cast members of Sobeys Star of Christmas TV ad from 1987. “They’re all out together this week singing the jingle and helping us raise awareness for the holiday campaign on social media, with local news media and personalities…and even making some surprise appearances around Halifax, including at Feed Nova Scotia, one of the local food banks who is a recipient of the campaign proceeds,” DeHaas notes.

In addition to in-store signage, Sobeys will run a TV campaign supported by public relations and influencers. FCB has produced the new TV commercial. North Strategic handles earned media, influencer relations, community management and social content creation, while UM manages paid media. Although the concept for the new ornament was created in-house, XMC helped produce them.