This year, Peter Kay among others will be starring in the celebrity filled Marks and Spencer Christmas advertising campaign. Last Christmas we had Stephen Fry, Jennifer Saunders, James Nesbit and more. Nobody has said it aloud yet, but we the British public are thinking it; Marks and Spencer are making Woolworths adverts in all but name.
Way back in the good old days, the arrival of the Woolworths festive advertisement meant the arrival of the holiday season. The big production, lavish musical scores, a host of stars, and of course lots of exciting Christmas present ideas for all the family. Sometimes these big productions would take up an entire advert break. The television viewers loved them, because we loved good old Woolworths. Take Woolworths away from Christmas and you might as well take away the turkey, the tree, and the Queen’s speech.
But for the last two years, that is how we have had to live. We, the great British public deprived of the true essence of the festive season. Yes, of course we still love Marks and Spencer, known to the early-mid thirties generation as ‘that posh shop we only go in at Christmas when your parents buy a tin of posh biscuits so the neighbours will be impressed’, but it is Woolworths that we need and want at this time of the year.
When the initial period of mourning for Woolworths was over, everyone in the country greeted the great news that the name would live on with jubilation. Chad Valley toys were sold to Argos, and the Pick ‘n’ Mix idea was hijacked by almost every shop going, (although calling it Pick and Mix feels wrong somehow) and Woolworths itself would live on as an online shop.
The old manager and staff under the name of Wellworths reopened the Dorset town centre branch of Woolworths. We have also seen Alworths and Waremart capturing the Woolworths vibe. They have proved the point that Woolworths holds a special place in our hearts. If further proof of our collective love of Woolworths was required, the internet went into meltdown on the day the all-new Woolworths website opened for business.
But the launch of the Woolworths website has uncovered a massive scandal, for which the owners should hang their heads in shame.
I contacted the owners of the ‘new’ Woolworths with regards the return of the traditional advert, offering my services as a writer and director for no fee. My reason for not charging them was simply that I care about upholding traditions. If the changing of the guard was done away with, there would be an outcry, so why has there been no pressure applied to Woolworths? Why wasn’t the making of a Christmas advert part of the agreement of sale? When they eventually replied to my emails, (after my persistence finally paid off) all they had to say on the matter was that they had ONLY BOUGHT THE NAME.
If a group of people want to jump on a bandwagon and cash in on the love and regard held by the public, then they really should have considered exactly what it was they were buying. Woolworths have a moral obligation to bring back a vital tradition so important to Christmas. We want our celebrity heavy Woolworths campaign.
If you type ‘Woolworths Christmas Adverts’ into the search bar on youtube, you will find all the classics. Watch them and reminisce, and you can guarantee that by the time you have watched them all; there will not be a dry eye in the house. Remember the tunes, the stars, and laugh about the prices and items, (packet of cassettes anyone?), but most of all, you will be taken back to a time when Woolworths used to absolutely own this time of year.
Christmas just is not the same without Woolworths. So please Woolworths, if you are reading this, can we have Christmas back?
