NORTHERN PLANNER

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What Paul McArtney and Sainsburys might tell us about borrowing interest

November 14, 2014

I'm guessing that I come into Sainsbury's target market.

I know that I think about ads and stuff too much.

I know that tapping into all that WW1 stuff around at the moment should create some natural traction.

But I do wonder if this..

Will be seen as a tune free version of this..

Not to mention, I wonder if people who think about things a little less, might react a little adversely to something as serious as millions of men giving up their lives, in service of selling turkey and tinsel.

Winning Christmas is really important commercially and much of that can come from making people feel something profound, but I question the relevance here, the 'sharing' present element feels too bolted on.

Borrowed interest can be really powerful, but you need to get the relevance. I wonder if folks might like the ad (if they can't remember Macca) but not attribute it to Sainsburys.

Anyway, my favourite Christmas commercial is this…

Posted in The day job

5 responses to “What Paul McArtney and Sainsburys might tell us about borrowing interest”

John

November 14, 2014

3.40 Are they kidding?
Not to mention their clean-ness and propagating the doubtful stories about football matches etc. Probably didn’t happen and visitors however well intentioned ended up being taken prisoner cos those were the rules of war. Unofficial truces happened, but fraternisation most likely is mythical.
So, yes the Irn-Bru ad kicks their butt.

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Ciaran McCabe

November 19, 2014

Thank you, Andrew, I’d not seen the Christmas ad, or some of the others before.
Very good – what agency created them?

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Northern

November 19, 2014

AMV did the WW1 thingy
My friends at The Leith Agency did the Snowman, a genuine cultural icon in Scotland

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Rob (other one)

November 20, 2014

Agree that it feels quite bolted on.
It does feel to me though, that the central element is actually promoting the idea of peace, and that what we share is stronger than what divides us. To that extent I don’t feel like it in any way exploits anyone involved in that conflict or others. Peace is a huge part of Christmas. If you think about most families who come together, and forget their day to day issues with each other to share – that’s kind of a smaller version of the same ideal.
Without the Legion partnership it might have felt a bit crass, even though I think the tone is well played. But as is, I think it’s a powerful piece that reminds us of the real meanings behind Christmas rather than another ad showing us people decorating and cooking turkeys.
That Irn Bru ad is still pure class. That really should be their version of ‘Holidays are coming.”

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Northern

November 20, 2014

Glad you shared your point of view
I read a piece about how it taps into a lost sense of nostalgia and the need to connect to people we are lacking
Totally gfe all that and what you say about how we feel about Christmas but somehow I don’t get sainsburys role in it
Maybe I’m being too literal

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