[TV] The new Sainsbury's Christmas ad

[hans kraay fan club]

Well yeah I'm totally serious. Made me think about the actual truce. Stopping the fighting for a bit just to reflect on the fact that being human transcends what flag you're fighting for. Until fat coward generals start shelling again. The same fat coward generals who shoot soldiers for cowardice, when they desert instead of walking forward into machine gun fire.

It's tragic.

Yep. It brought a lump to the throat.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Has anyone seen the Lidl or Aldi ads? What is the German view?

 

[The Andy Naylor Fan Club]

World War I, now sponsored by Sainsburys.

Don't miss our 2-for-1 offers on Cheeselets...really Somme-thing special.

Delightful.

An advert that not only depicts an actual event in history but benefits soldiers families present and past ( all profits from the chocolate bar go to the Royal British Legion ) gets my support. It's an association to assist rather than an exploitation of a period of our history.

 

[Easy 10]

An advert that not only depicts an actual event in history but benefits soldiers families present and past ( all profits from the chocolate bar go to the Royal British Legion ) gets my support. It's an association to assist rather than an exploitation of a period of our history.

Donations aside, Sainsbo's aren't doing it out of the kindness of their hearts, they're ultimately looking for a return on it, that's what advertising is for. Its what its all about. And using this event in history in order to peddle their wares just doesn't sit well with me.

Guess I'm just getting cynical in my old age.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Which begs the question, if they didn't think they were going to flog a few extra christmas puds, deodorant gift sets and frozen prawn vol-au-vents off the back of their glossy, sentimental WWI trench warfare ad, then why bother in the first place ?

To get people talking about their brand?

Seems to have worked.

 

[Easy 10]

To get people talking about their brand?

Seems to have worked.

Yup.

I feel dirty.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Yup.

I feel dirty.

I don't, I think it's a great advert, and perhaps it might teach a few kids what went on 100 years ago.

 

[The Andy Naylor Fan Club]

Donations aside, Sainsbo's aren't doing it out of the kindness of their hearts, they're ultimately looking for a return on it, that's what advertising is for. Its what its all about. And using this event in history in order to peddle their wares just doesn't sit well with me.

Guess I'm just getting cynical in my old age.

On an evening that the BBC is currently showing Children in need, an association with a corporation or a company goes hand in hand with todays society. The charities that benefit know all too well about this being the case. The more exposure a charity can get at the expense of an organisation the better, in my book.

 

[BHAFC_Pandapops]

Its certainly no bad thing to reflect on those horrific events, or be moved by it.

Its just a bit of a shame that it takes a glossy, contrived, airbrushed supermarket ad to bring it to peoples attention.

It's an opportunity for people to explore the events in and around and after. It's a tad controversial in this case, but it's the only opportunity some people have to learn about it.

 

[BHAFC_Pandapops]

I largely agree with this take from the Guardian. Great bit of film-making, but seems inappropriate as a tool to fuel a supermarket Christmas sales war

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/nov/13/sainsburys-christmas-ad-first-world-war

Th Guardian is usually good with equality and stuff but sometimes the journalism is just like "here's all the negatives, there are NO positives, so stop looking, because there's none there. Stop. STOP LOOKING!"

Sometimes I think if you gave the Guardian Hope, it would go all Morgan Freeman on your arse and say "Hope is just shitty pipe dreams!!"

 

[W.C.]

Not a fan of using such emotive subject matter to sell stuff myself.

 

[Tooting Gull]

Utter garbage. What sales is it generating?

Retailers make adverts for one reason only. Please tell me you understand that bit. And it isn't to commemorate war dead.

 

[dennis]

I do think that all the supermarkets know that we the consumer have already made our minds up where we will be buying our Christmas food. It will just be a bigger shop at our normal supermarket, so as a result of this they basically try to outdo each other with their Christmas advert to keep people talking about their brand and let's face it what are we doing on this particular thread. Its just the same over here.

 

[DumLum]

Sainsbo's OWN HH.

Not for much longer. It will be the Aldi of Haywards Heath soon.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-29456275

 

[timco]

Utter garbage. What sales is it generating?

15 000 bars of chocolate an hour to start with.... which will count towards raising sainsburys sales figures.
If you look at what the new ceo said this week around the release of their 6 months results, Sainsburys is targeting associated sales, so you come into store to get the cheap nappies you may buy baby clothes etc. So when you pop in to get the chocolate bar where the money is donated to charity you may buy something else, where it is not.

I do think though people are missing the main point of the advert, Sainsburys sell themselves as different by values, they care about the community they do a lot for charity, they have dedicated a very expensive advert to joint profile raising of a charity in association with their brand.

I think it is a very clever advert that maybe just too clever for most to understand.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Have to say the chocolate bar itself is pretty poor quality (yup, bought one )

 

[Jesus Gul]

Have Wavy Line released theirs yet?

 

[Grombleton]

Sainsbury's are suffering big time. They spunk money on really daft stuff as well. Their staff training is UNBELIVABLY expensive and pretty much useless. Hiring out all the Centreparcs in the UK , four days a week to train staff on "respecting the customer". They paid me £600 an HOUR to train Roleplay with their staff. What a waste of money. It doesn't surprise me they wasted their money on this drastically misjudged piece of shit advert.

Being an employee of Sainsbury's, that's the first i've heard of it.

I get the feeling you don't like the advert? and by association, the company?

 

[Nibble]

Being an employee of Sainsbury's, that's the first i've heard of it.

I get the feeling you don't like the advert? and by association, the company?

I don't mind the company. I used to shop there all the time. This advert is ridiculous. Shelving stores, cutting their costs? It doesn't signal good news. Shares are down too.

 

[Grombleton]

I don't mind the company. I used to shop there all the time. This advert is ridiculous. Shelving stores, cutting their costs? It doesn't signal good news. Shares are down too.

I guess it depends on the view of good or bad news. profit is down 6% on the same period last year but that's still £375m profit which isn't too shabby. Also I'm not aware of shelving stores - they've said they are not opening as many but concentrating on opening in those areas that get a good return. The retail landscape has changed and as such they're opening 100 more Convenience stores as people want places they can make smaller shops for 'topping up' the cupboard.

Like most places in retail, it's a tough place still currently....still, they're not Tesco