Alison Hammond returns to screens as the “Very Godmother” in sparkling ITV partnership

Very, the online retailer operated by The Very Group, has teamed up with Zenith UK to unveil the second year of its Christmas partnership with ITV Daytime.

The partnership brings Alison Hammond back to screens as the nation’s “Very Godmother”, helping shoppers solve Christmas conundrums.

In a refreshed series of festive TVCs designed to engage Very’s core customers at scale during the Golden Quarter, the partnership runs from 16 November to 14 December and builds on the success of last year’s activity. The campaign forms a central part of Zenith’s AV strategy for Very’s festive campaign. 

Working with ITV, Very and Zenith have developed new 40” and 20” films that showcase Alison Hammond solving familiar festive dilemmas with her trademark warmth, humour and flair - all within Very’s distinctive Let’s make it sparkle brand world. 

This year, Zenith has leaned even further into understanding relevant cultural codes to help refresh creative assets that have strongly resonated with Very’s audience since 2023. The refreshed TVCs introduce more sparkle, more playful moments with the brand’s flamingo characters, and newly sequined choir, amplifying the Hun culture energy that continues to outperform with Very’s customers across daytime viewing. 

The new films also showcase a broader range of gifting moments - from the season’s most-wanted entertainment with PlayStation 5, to Marc Jacobs and Boss fragrances, the latest kitchen innovation from Ninja Swirl and LEGO gifting with a twist designed to showcase the variety of Very’s product offering, each vignette plays directly into the household moments where audiences are seeking inspiration and value. 

This year’s partnership also spotlights the brand’s FCA regulated flexible payment options which are available through Very Pay. The Very Godmother TVC has a musical theme, featuring a sequined choir delivering the line: “And there’s more time to pay with Very Pay”, echoing the core message of Very’s Christmas ad.

Zenith selected ITV Daytime as the perfect environment for Very’s audience, using Publicis Connected Identity, built on privacy-safe data from over 46 million UK individuals. This allowed the team to map ‘core customers’ viewing and shopping behaviours with precision, identifying ITV Daytime as one of the most efficient and contextually powerful channels for reaching high-value audiences during peak festive planning. The partnership spans bespoke TVCs, contextual moments, social amplification and premium placements across ITV Daytime, supported by the wider AV, social, OOH and radio plan.

The renewed activity builds on last year’s success, which saw brand consideration climb to 46%, category growth surge across toys, gifts and beauty (+7%) and home (+15%), and customer volumes rise 7% YoY, with ITV Daytime alone driving 155,000 visits to Very during the partnership.

Jessica Myers, chief customer officer at The Very Group said: “We know Christmas is a key calendar moment for our customers, so we’re excited to be working with Alison Hammond for a second year to deliver extra sparkle this festive season. Through the partnership, we’re helping families avoid festive faux pas while continuing to double down on the use of our fl-amazing fluent devices – it’s an exciting campaign which we’re confident our customers will love.” 

Sannah Rogers, CEO of Zenith UK, added: “ITV Daytime and Alison Hammond are a perfect match for Very’s festive brand world. This partnership cuts through a crowded Christmas ad season by leaning into culture, humour and genuine relatability - exactly what our core Very audience responds to. We’re proud to bring year two of the Very Godmother to life with even more sparkle a uniquely British charm.” 

Contact information

Media relations

Claire Newmarch | [email protected]