As far as Christmas adverts go, the Edeka Christmas advert is in a league of its own. It takes blub-tastic, which seems to be the benchmark for a good Christmas ad these days, and pretty much re-sets the bar.
I won't 'spoil' Edeka's offering for their Christmas ad (and by the way, it's a German supermarket) by telling you what happens but it's well worth a moment of your time. I spent five minutes howling in a coffee shop this morning after watching it, but I also adjusted my Christmas plans immediately afterwards and made a phone-call I had been putting off, such was its impact on me.
But the Playpennies team are divided over the whole question of Christmas ads. One of our gang completely adores the Sainsbury's Christmas advert - featuring Mog the Cat who consequently couldn't be bought online for love nor money - whereas I found the whole Mog thing just a bit 'meh'.
The Edeka Christmas ad, on the other hand, touched my heart-strings good and proper. And yes, I get that it's an advert and that technically we should therefore probably all wise up to the fact that a retailer's Christmas advert is ultimately designed to make us part with our hard-earned cash at Christmas and as such isn't really worthy of a heartfelt emotional outpouring.
But Edeka gets something right that, for me, the other retailers don't when it comes to their Christmas ads. Edeka doesn't just pull of ALL.THE.FEELS. The Edeka Christmas advert actually makes you stop to think about the plans you make at Christmas and whose needs we are prioritising. Ultimately, the ad made me recognise, even just momentarily, that life is short and the choices I make about where I spend Christmas might eventually be the very things I one day regret. The Edeka ad gives us pause to take stock and re-evaluate what matters most in life.
Is that message cheapened or invalidated in some way simply because the medium is a supermarket's commercial? Of course not, and anyone who says so is overlooking the fact that films are ultimately produced to rake in cash at the Box Office and yet can touch our souls and change our hearts.
Too cheesy? Who cares, it's Christmas. (Nearly.)
Of course, not everyone will share my view. Friends of mine think this ad goes w-a-y too far and effectively works along the lines of a guilt-trip. "The content of the ad revolves around a nasty, cheap trick, which is fitting because Edeka's Christmas advert itself is just a cheap trick to garner column inches," said a friend. Pfft. Heartless soul.
So what's your view? Do you love the Edeka Christmas advert or are you sick of the supermarket wars and their efforts to win our hearts (along with our business) with their tear-jerker Christmas TV adverts? Come and tell us over on our Facebook page.
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