LESSON 17: IDENTITIES 11

Having looked at a series of Xmas adverts in previous session [see L.16], today we focused on the Sainsbury's Xmas 2014 advert.

The advert has aroused a great deal of interest already.

Some see it as a crude exploitative media product aimed at capitalisng on human interest for the sake of selling more of its products. it has obvious links to the dominant success of John Lewis in the Xmas marketing campaigns whose Xmas adverts over the past 7 years have seen the John Lewis advert become a media event in its own right [see L.17]

The DAILY TELEGRAPH on 14th November 2014 suggests just as much:

Sainsbury's 1914 Christmas truce ad exploits memory of Great War

Sainsbury's has gone too far with its latest Christmas ad based around the truce between British and German soldiers in no man's land, writes Andrew Critchlow

Sainsbury’s, is mired in its own form of 21st Century commercial trench warfare with the German supermarket Aldi. But by dramatizing the 1914 First World War truce between the “Tommy” and “Boche” soldiers to sell us more mince pies and turkey this Christmas, it has gone too far.

True, the company’s latest festive commercial is a beautifully shot piece. It could almost be a Hollywood remake of the classic film “All quiet on the Western Front”, except that the important message of war being the most pointless waste of young life is entirely washed into the background of history by the ad’s real purpose, which is to make Sainsbury’s money.

Of course, Sainsbury’s isn’t the first company to commercialise the horror of war to sell a product. Many television advertisements have featured scenes from battlefields, or military imagery, to market to a particular audience.

Beyond literature, the 1914-18 conflict – known as the war to end all wars – has also provided the backdrop and inspiration for musical artists such as Paul McCartney. But there was a message beyond pure capitalism in McCartney's song “Pipes of Piece”, from which Sainsbury’s and its advertising agency appear to have drawn their inspiration.

The supermarket argues that the advert, which shows a British soldier handing his hungry German counterpart a bar of chocolate while their comrades play football in no man’s land, is intended to reflect the theme of sharing at Christmas and act as a tribute to the spirit of humanity displayed in the unofficial truce.

The DAILY MAIL newspaper via its online editions stated:

Complaints flood in over Sainsbury's Christmas in the trenches advert: Viewers' anger over use of WWI to promote supermarket 

Advert has received 137 complaints since Wednesday with many objecting to use of WWI imagery to promote firm
While some think it's 'brilliant' others have called it 'cynical' and disrespectful to those who fought in the conflict
Three-minute clip shows famous meeting of First World War soldiers in no man's land on Christmas Day in 1914
Soldiers put down their guns and climbed from the trenches and exchanged gifts with each other 
In the advert two young men meet halfway across no man's land, shake hands and play a game of football
Sainsbury's says 'Christmas is for sharing' and in advert British soldier gives his German adversary chocolate
Chocolate bars will be sold in Sainsbury's up until Christmas to raise money for Royal British Legion  
Paul McCartney fans say advert is remarkably similar to his 1983 pop video for number one single Pipes of Peace
John Lewis has had one complaint for penguin ad from viewer worried it will encourage people to buy the animals

The recreation of one of the most famous moments from the First World War by Sainsbury's in its 2014 Christmas advert was branded both 'cynical' and 'wonderful' today.

Britain's third biggest supermarket said the commercial is a 'creative interpretation' of Christmas Day 1914 when British and German soldiers laid down their weapons and met in no man's land.

Sainsbury's reconstructed the trenches scenes with the help of a war historian to celebrate the supermarket's 20 years of support for the Royal British Legion, which runs the annual poppy campaign. 

While some called it moving and brilliant others were saying it was an 'exploitative' way for a big business to advertise itself.

The founders of clothing company Holroyd and Pickles tweeted: 'How do you think my great great grandfather would feel knowing his bravery had been reduced to advertising Sainsbury's?'

Juliette AdAstra added her concerns, saying: 'If there's anything more tasteless and cynical than the Sainsbury's Christmas advert, I've yet to see it'.

But Lydia Hamilton tweeted: 'The Sainsbury's Christmas advert is amazing, 10 times better than John Lewis' and Sam Carvalho wrote: 'Just saw the Sainsbury’s Christmas advert. That is definitely the best advert so far'. 

The METRO went with a different take:

Sainsbury’s has achieved the impossible; it has somehow succeeded in making a bearable Christmas advert.

I LOVE Christmas – I’m the kind of person to wind tinsel into my hair in a fit of festive madness.

I usually finish my present shopping in September, and spend the months before Christmas beaming good-naturedly at strangers in the street and listening to my bumper Christmas playlist on repeat (much to the resentment of colleagues and housemates).

All the same, I consider myself to be fairly cynical – I barked with laughter at the John Lewis advert, and probably wouldn’t purchase a penguin for £95. But the Sainsbury’s ad was so unlike a usual advertisement it won me over.

Incredibly well researched, it runs like a short film – it’s emotional and touching without being sentimental, and that’s probably because, having been co-engineered by the British Legion, it’s closely based on actual events.

Soldiers really did venture out of the trenches to play football with the enemy at Christmas; at a time when fear and misery reigned in the cold, squalid trenches, hope and goodwill won out.