Sainsbury’s Christmas ad not as Great as first thought

[dropcap]C[/dropcap]hristmas is coming. And so, too, is the Battle of the Adverts. This year, Sainsbury’s appear to have stolen the show with their festive tribute to the centenary of the First World War.

Still from the advert – credit: YouTube

But is it as festive as it first appears?

Some say that Sainsbury’s has exploited the deaths of millions in order to boost sales. Does the supermarket really want to commemorate the tragedy of the Great War ? No. The marketing team of the British giant seized a chance to jump on the patriotic bandwagon and increase their Christmas profits, throwing British Legion endorsement into the mix to benefit from their positive reputation.

Second up is the romanticising of war.  Snow is falling, a soldier receives a care package from his true love and an inspiring rendition of Silent Night begins to drift over from the enemy trenches. Not a gunshot wound, bandage or corpse in sight. Not much mud, either. Is it really fair to portray such a sanitised version of the war when the reality was infinitely worse? Perhaps the marketing gurus shield away from the graphic (and historically accurate) nature of the battlefields to keep in line with the happy, family-friendly tone that Christmas adverts usually take. Maybe they should have stayed away from war all together.

Lastly, for the benefit of the marketing team at Sainsbury’s, I feel I should state that women also took part in the First World War. Not that you’d know from the advert.

Also, rather than being pro-Christmas Spirit, the ad comes off a bit more pro-Britain. Whilst it’s all very well being proud of your nation, it is another thing entirely to assume superiority. It’s the Tommy who is shown to instigate the Christmas Day Truce, and who blesses his German counterpart with the gift of (Sainsbury’s) chocolate. So not only are the British braver that their enemies, but they are chivalrous enough to aid their inferiors. I am sure that the military was home to many wonderful people, but I do take issue with the fact that it is only the British who are portrayed as possessing such qualities. States go to war, not people.

Lastly, for the benefit of the marketing team at Sainsbury’s, I feel I should state that women also took part in the First World War. Not that you’d know from the advert. There are no women, save for the photograph enclosed with the chocolate. She warrants one whole word: “schön” – “beautiful”. Then, her role is over.  Never mind the fact that she would have been working tirelessly towards the war effort. She has a pretty face, and that is all that counts. Good to know. Thanks.

So what’s my verdict on Sainsbury’s festive tribute to World War One?

Well, not a happy one. One should always tread carefully when covering certain topics, and wars rank pretty high on the list. Using the slaughter of millions of men to sell chocolate may thus be deemed a little offensive. In fact, the overall romanticising effect that the ad has on the nature of war is questionable. Speaking of being historically-selective, the fact that the not-so-insignificant role of women is all but omitted makes Sainsbury’s successful in insulting an entire gender. The final nail in the festive coffin, though is the patriotism which strays a little too far into the territory of nationalism, and xenophobia really isn’t in the spirit of Christmas. Nice try, Sainsbury’s, but next year, just stick to snowmen.

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Photo: flickr / dreamisles