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‘Tis the Season for the Big Advert Battle, by Gemma Wilson

Christmas, a time of goodwill and great advertising, is here again and for retailers across the UK it’s time to unleash the year’s biggest media spend.

Like the glow of twinkling lights and the first chill in the air, awaiting the launch of John Lewis’ campaign has become synonymous with the start of the festive season. But have this year’s biggest retailers left us feeling merry enough to march straight to the nearest till register?

The answer – most likely yes, but campaigns for Christmas 2017 have not been without controversy. From racist remarks in response to Tesco’s ad to Amazon’s attempt to steal Santa’s limelight, it’s been a bumpy ride for brands facing up to the often angry mob that resides on social media.

My personal favourite ad features the lovable Paddington Bear. Thank you, Marks and Spencer, for giving us bags of Christmas cheer. Move over Moz the Monster, for me Christmas this year is entwined with the marmalade-loving movie legend, as he helps to deliver a sack of stolen presents.

But far from the silver screen, or even TV sets, for brands and their borrowed film stars, scoring PR success comes from making an impact digitally and racking up views on mobile devices. PR Week reported the Marks and Spencer film had an impressive two million views in just four hours on the brand’s Facebook page. The campaign has been supported with a #LoveTheBear hashtag complete with a unique paw print emoji and social media monitoring tool Brandwatch reported 97 per cent of social media mentions were positive.

To date, one week after its first release, the ad has achieved more than 5.6 million views on its YouTube channel.

Treat yourself to a little seasonal magic, courtesy of Marks and Spencer:

White wine in spag bol? Whatever next….by Laura Duncan

There was uproar amongst the foodies this week after TV chef, Mary Berry casually added white wine and cream to her spaghetti bolognaise – even choosing to omit the pasta altogether… Cue Twitter pandemonium with various self-proclaimed foodie experts crumbling under the thought of her ruining this classic comfort dish:

“Just watched a cooking programme where Mary Berry put white wine in bolognaise. Turned it off”

“I can’t cope with Mary Berry’s bolognaise recipe. She used white wine, not red wine. She cooks it in the oven. There is thyme but no basil”

The Daily Telegraph even had the story as one of their “breaking news” pop-ups… it seems she’s caused a stir in the industry…

So, it got us thinking here at the Lucre food and drink towers – who else has come under scrutiny for daring to push culinary boundaries? Albeit, sometimes it’s been for all for the better!

 

Jamie Oliver outraged Spaniards by adding chorizo and chicken to his paella.

“Adding chorizo to a paella should be an offence”

“No, Jamie. No. Stop ruining a classic”

The tradition Valencian dish includes meat, fish, shellfish, and vegetables but not a whiff of the cured sausage or succulent chicken thighs. People argued, he’s just created rice with stuff… tastes good, though….

 

Heston Blumenthal has forged his career and created a role for himself as our go-to chef for unlikely flavour combinations (snail porridge, anyone??) yet, his Bacon & Banana Trifle, launched last Christmas didn’t go down too well with the British public… perhaps a bit too far… It certainly left customers crying out for the classic to be served throughout the festive period instead.

 

Nigella Lawson is famous for recommending we add a teaspoon of marmite to our spaghetti bolognaise in replacement of a stock cube. Love it or hate it, feedback is it adds depth and distinction to your standard ragu sauce

 

So, some food for thought… should we stick to the classics and follow a recipe to the letter? Or, should we mix it up a bit and pull a Mary by adding some flair and pizazz to our usual weeknight dinners? Think what you like about our favourite bake-off chef, her recommendation, “white or red, whatever you’ve got to hand” certainly sounds like something we can get on board with!