“Why Are You Ruining Christmas?” Viewers Fume As Standards Board Considers Chrissie Ad Ban

“Why Are You Ruining Christmas?” Viewers Fume As Standards Board Considers Chrissie Ad Ban
B&T Magazine
By B&T Magazine



It’s the season for all things Christmas, no more so than clever little festive spots rolling in from the UK retailers.

In mid-November, grocery chain Sainsbury’s unveiled its annual offering. Nothing too groundbreaking – shy kid on stage at annual Christmas concert who plucks up the courage and nails the performance.

The ad’s the work of Wieden & Kennedy London and is set to the New Radicals 1998 hit You Get What You Give.

However, a seemingly innocuous scene in the ad has got some viewers seething over safety concerns.

Check out the ad below and at the 1.20 minute-mark a kid dressed as an electrical plug dives perfectly into a socket.

The UK’s Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has now received 35 complaints about “plug boy” amid fears kids could start playing with sockets themselves.

The ASA said it was “weighing up” whether or not the complainants had a case and whether it would consider banning the ad.

However a number of people have rushed to the ad’s and Sainsbury’s defence saying complainants were “trying to ruin Christmas”.

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One fan of the ad tweeted: “Let’s be honest, if your kids runs face first into a plug socket after watching the #SainsburysXmasAd then that’s on YOU for raising a moron!”

Another added: “People complaining about the Sainsbury’s plugboy, what next, you going to complain about the kid dressed as a turkey in case they jump in the oven and cook themselves for 2 hours??!!”

While another penned: “If you complained about #SainsburysXmasAd #Plugboy then you need to go have a hard look at yourself.”

“To all 35 idiots complaining about the @sainsburys advert……#plugboy is brilliant! If you want to be all “health and safety” you clearly all didn’t watch the advert properly as he is wearing a helmet and his hands are nowhere to be seen,” fumed another.

An ASA spokesman said in a statement: “The general consensus of the complaints is around health and safety, fears of children seeing fit to play with plug sockets.

“We are assessing these complaints and weighing up whether there appears to be a problem. If not, we will close the case and inform the complainants.”

Sainsbury’s has not yet commented on the complaints or offered to modify the ad.




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