How Kevin the Carrot became the nation’s sweetheart

You must have noticed Aldi’s Kevin the Carrot is back on our screens – it’s hard not to, with his adorable little smile and his comical Christmas adventures sprinkling festive cheer to every corner of the nation.

But who would have thought a cute Christmas campaign from a supermarket, which is now running for the third consecutive year, would turn Kevin into a celebrity root vegetable.

Shoppers have been frantically scrambling to get their hands on a soft toy Kevin, which even comes in a one-metre version, alongside his wife Katie, three baby carrots and Pascal the Parsnip.

The influx of people attempting to buy him online caused a temporary glitch on Aldi’s website, and Kevin also caused chaos and queues across the UK, with reports of punch-ups over the little orange character.

Just how did Aldi carry out such an effective Christmas campaign that led to them creating one of Britain’s most wanted toys?

Christmas campaigns swarm every aspect of our lives at this time of year, and only the best few really stand out.

We have Elton John playing the piano, adorable kids performing at a Christmas concert, but what makes Kevin so special, according to Siobhan Freegard speaking to Huffington Post, is his appeal to both children and adults.

“Kevin is cute, he’s a veggie so parents adore the fact tots are getting excited over healthy food, and the ads are entertaining and also poke fun at the long-running Coca Cola Holidays are Coming campaign” she said.

There is no ignoring the huge social media buzz that Kevin has stirred, with customers taking to platforms such as Twitter either to boast about their luck after grabbing one of the sell-out toys, or to moan that they had missed out. Either way, Aldi had people talking.

Another reason for his popularity is that Kevin, believe it or not, has become a collectable, with people already flogging their carrots on eBay for more than £1,000.

The sales of Kevin and his friends also support The Teenage Cancer Trust, Aldi’s charity partner, which is another reason why the lil fella is so desirable.

Aldi have shown that developing, and persevering with, an adorable and likeable character can work wonders for creating a media buzz, and playing on its popularity can send the nation spiralling out of control in a carrot frenzy.

Because who wouldn’t want a metre sized carrot?