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19th Nov 2021

Tesco Christmas advert becomes the most-complained about TV ad of 2021

Danny Jones

Tesco Christmas advert is controversy

Wonder why…

The 2021 Tesco Christmas advert has been getting a lot of flak since it debuted earlier this month – so much so, in fact, that it has now become the most complained about advert of 2021.

The ad itself features various families getting ready for the festivities, Tesco workers delivering the all-important festive shopping and a bit about going abroad for the holiday season. That’s where things seemed to have rubbed people the wrong way.

ln case you haven’t seen it on the box yet, this is what it looks like:

As you can see, not only does the tongue-in-cheek sketch show the fictional new headline, “Santa to be quarantined?”, but it then shows him going on to the airport as the terminal waits in suspense, only for him to reveal his Covid pass.

Yes, it’s confirmed: the make-believe Christmas character aimed at children is double-jabbed in this fictional TV ad and it’s completely normal for a bunch of grown adults to be getting so upset over it.

As reported in WalesOnline, the advert has received over 3,000 complaints and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has said it is currently reviewing the complaints to see if they warranted an investigation for a potential breach of the rules.

As a spokesperson explained, “The large majority of complaints assert that the ad is coercive, and encourages medical discrimination based on vaccine status.” A certain group of people on social media are in uproar:

One person even said “Santa doesn’t need an experimental gene therapy jab or jab pass”. You’re right, Anne-Marie, he doesn’t – because he doesn’t exist.

Beyond just online outrage, many have even gone so far as to boycott the supermarket – #BoycottTesco is still trending across sections of social media – on the other hand, some have seen the funny side and taken what upshots they can:

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