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Supermarket Santa sparks social media storm

Tesco Christmas ad attracts hundreds of complaints, its own boycott hashtag, and.... eyeballs

SocialBritish multinational supermarket chain Tesco has achieved the coveted position of standing out in the flood of Christmas ads 2021. It's a moot point whether the 1'30" commercial garnered the response it might have been after: it sparked a social media storm as soon as it launched, and quickly acquired a #BoycottTesco hashtag on Twitter, counteracting its own #NothingsStoppingUs slogan. 
The ad appears to follow the 'we're all in this together', 'war-time spirit', 'pull together' narrative prevalent during Covid-19 restrictions, yet simultaneously presents an exclusionist Christmas where even Santa has to show documentation.
It landed alongside Remembrance Day, an annual commemoration in the UK to honour armed forces members who have died in conflict; the news that Austria was imposing a fresh lockdown on some of her citizens - those who have not had a Covid shot; and a US federal appeals court pressing the pause button on President Biden's vaccine mandate.
Reactions to the Tesco ad indicate that whatever one's personal choices on accepting Covid shots/passes, there is a growing backlash against divisive government edicts, especially at a time of year generally associated with love and peace, sharing and understanding, inclusion and generosity.

Is it possible that Tesco doesn't just key into the Zeitgeist but intentionally provides a lightning rod of 'awakening', to which we can all respond, regardless of our differences? 

LotteryMeanwhile, in Spain, the always eagerly anticipated Christmas Lottery ad again delivered a down-to-earth yet magical message based around solidarity and generosity.The 2021 'lottery that unites us' urges sharing good luck with those we share life with.
Known as El Gordo - The Fat One - the lottery has been running since 1812 and nowadays commands a pot of some 2.5 billion euros, with a jackpot round 750 million.Spaniards band together at work, in families and among friends to secure a 'décimo' or fraction of a ticket, and keep a close eye on TVs across the nation on December 22nd as pupils of the San Ildefonso school (formerly for orphans) sing out the winning numbers.

Keeping doors open...

Which societal message do you prefer for Christmas and all year round? Division or unity?


ENDS




Posted by Tree Elven on 17/11/2021

Keywords: Tesco Nothing's Stopping Us, Boycott Tesco, Tesco Christmas ad, Christmas ads 2021, Santa' s covid pass, Tree Elven, controversial ads, BBH

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