Three years ago, it was the bear and the hare. Two years ago it was the penguins. Last year, the man on the moon. This year, the imam and priest. I can’t help but cry at Christmas ads. Yes, that’s right, CRY. And no, I don’t mean ‘eyes watering a little’. I mean, full on waterworks – the type of tears you cry when you watched Bambi or Dumbo or *Titanic *for the first time. What’s all the fuss about? Normally one of two things: I feel sorry for one of the characters, or the message of love is so overwhelming, it’s almost too much to handle.
In normal circumstances, (watching a movie, reading a book) I wouldn’t care about being orchestrated to feel emotional, but in the case of the Christmas ad, I do. Because it’s an advertisement, isn’t it? It’s bloody trying to sell me stuff – and playing on my emotions to do so. Yes, I know that’s how ads are successful but still, I find it incredibly annoying – and wrong. To me, it’s false advertising.
Take this year’s aforementioned example from Amazon. It’s the story of an imam and a vicar. They’re having a catch up over a cuppa, and as they sit down, both pat their aching knees. When the imam leaves, both he and the priest have brainwaves. They decide to send each other presents. The next day, Amazon gifts arrive for both. This is a spoiler alert, so if you want to watch what happens next click here{
This advert had me in floods of tears. Because isn’t this the world we want to live in? Where people of all faiths live happily together and love each other? It was very powerful, and one of the best Christmas ads I’ve seen. But underlying it all was the message that if I really appreciated what I was watching, the way to show it would be to buy things from Amazon.
I think that’s wrong. To seize upon such an important message as that, purely to sell online goods, is outrageous.
The same can be said for all other Christmas ads. Using other examples from this year, it’s like, if I think that siblings should love each other, in theory I should shop at M&S. If I think that family pets deserve to have fun at Christmas, I should buy stuff from John Lewis. Do I want my Dad to have time for me at Christmas? Well, if I buy my turkey from Sainsburys, he might. Do I want the elderly to be with their families this December? If yes, I must encourage them to fly in and out of Heathrow – with teddy bears (I didn’t quite get that one, admittedly). It’s all a huge marketing ploy, and what’s worse, I fall for it. Every year. By crying.
Although, thinking about it, is that actually falling for it…?
Yes, I weep – WEEP BUCKETS – but actually, am I any more likely to shop at M&S than Sainsburys, because I found one advertisement tugged at my heartstrings a little more than the other? Or am I more likely to shop at Tescos because it happens to be closer to where I live?
How effective are these ads? Great PR for the stores, sure, but do they increase sales? Apparently so… According to ThisisMoney.co.uk, John Lewis’ Man on the Moon ad last year, which cost a cool £1million to make, helped to increase online sales by 5.1% compared to the year before.
I find this very disappointing. Not the knowledge that advertising works, because clearly that’s the point, but disappointing in the way that it’s so manipulative. Furthermore, because Christmas ads are so competitive they’re trying ever harder to outdo each other, meaning virtually no topic is off limits. This means super stores can create mini movies about almost anything they think will get us dewy-eyed, and as long as they attach it in some way to both them and Christmas, they’re guaranteed to make the mega bucks.
It’s like the Sainsbury’s Christmas ad of 2014. It depicted the historic unofficial truce which took place between British and German troops in the No Mans Land of the December trenches of 1914. Yes, it was created in collaboration with the Royal British Legion, but it nonetheless made me feel outraged on behalf of those soldiers. Because I struggled to imagine how they would have felt had they known that, one day, their compassionate gestures of peace would be turned into a money making scheme for a supermarket. It just seemed so very wrong...
I don’t begrudge stores for making sentimental seasonal ads. And you know what, the messages they put out there are worthy and valuable and good, so good, most of them bring me to tears. I just wish that’s all they were – messages. Not carefully constructed ruses to make me spend my money. When it comes to love – loving our siblings, parents, grandparents, friends and neighbours, which is arguably what all these adverts are about – you can’t put a price on it.