Image: Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury’s has undoubtedly won the battle for the hearts of consumers this Christmas after it broadcast its moving ‘Christmas is for sharing’ ad for the first time last night which recreates the poignant scenes from the World War I trenches when soldiers on both sides downed their weapons and played a game of football on Christmas day.

Forget the John Lewis penguin ad, this will have you reaching for the tissues every time you see it. Brilliantly shot, respectful and timely, this ad has most certainly earned its place in the advertising hall of fame as one of the best campaigns ever conceived.

Despite the profit losses announced yesterday and the on-going price wars with the discount stores, Sainsbury’s has just demonstrated the power of advertising when it comes to winning back customers.

So, less than 24 hours of blogging about turning my back on the big four and more specifically Sainsbury’s, the store may have lost the battle for my mind but it has won my heart a thousand times over. Yes, Mr J Sainsbury, I will be back, admittedly not as often as in the past, and I will be buying the chocolate featured in the ad and I will also be rounding up my bills to the nearest pound as part of your fundraising efforts for The Royal British Legion.

Take a few minutes to watch the ad now and I guarantee you will be in tears and off to your nearest store to stock up on the chocolate, on sale for £1 with all profits going to RBL, which Sainsbury’s has supported for 20 years.

The story of German and English troops who stopped fighting on Christmas day to enjoy a game of football is well

Image: Sainsbury’s

documented from letters and diaries on both sides and Sainsbury’s dramatises the events with a precise balance of emotion and nostalgia whilst paying homage to the tragedy of the war itself.  Broadcast the day after Armistice Day and just as volunteers moved in to dismantle the incredible poppy display at the Tower, was a lesson in the art of exceptional marketing timing in itself.

There will be cynics who will cry foul and accuse the supermarket of piggy-backing the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of WW1 for commercial gain. But, I will not be one of them.

Well done, Sainsbury’s you have just won back a lost customer.