ASDA slated over 'sexist' Christmas commecial

Daily Moan wrote:Backlash against 'sexist' Asda after it launches multi-million pound advertising campaign claiming 'behind every great Christmas there's mum'

• TV ad shows a mother doing all the preparations for the festive period
• Her partner and children do nothing - although another woman helps her wash up after the meal
• More than two dozen viewers have complained to advertising regulators

ASDA bosses have been condemned as ‘sexist’ and ‘dinosaurs’ over a Christmas TV advert that places the entire responsibility for the festivities on to the shoulders of mothers.

Under the slogan ‘Behind every great Christmas, there’s Mum’, a young mother is shown racing around, while the father and the rest of the family put their feet up.



Ban this sick filth.

At least 33 white knights have complained to the Advertising Standards Authority watchdog, saying the supermarket chain’s advert is offensive to both women and men.

Radio 4 Woman’s Hour presenter Jane Garvey highlighted the controversy on her Twitter feed where she referred followers to the Everyday Sexism website.

One critic tweeted: ‘Just watched the @asda Xmas advert – what the hell?! Can’t decide if it’s more insulting to women or men.’

Another complained: ‘Mum runs about like headless chicken, with no help from family. Gets asked about the next meal just as she sits down with a glass of wine.

‘And of course, she is knee-deep in kids, a size 8 and not a blonde hair out of place. Who is the dinosaur who approved this ad?’ Another asked: ‘How does Asda have the audacity to broadcast this in 2012?’



The commercial has even managed to unite feminists and members of the Fathers4Justice campaign in condemnation. The fathers rights organisation has threatened a ‘turkey sit-in’ at stores if the adverts are not pulled.

Asda, which created the commerical with ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi, insisted that it has received the backing of the vast majority in a survey of 4,000 mothers.

An attractive blonde mother is shown attempting to overcome the many challenges of organising a family Christmas.

She is seen picking out and decorating a Christmas tree, wrapping presents, writing cards, untangling a ball of fairy-lights and trying to squeeze visiting relatives around the table for Christmas lunch.

She does get some help with washing-up after cooking, however - from a female friend.

At the end of the 60-second promo, the harassed mother is finally allowed to relax with the family - before someone asks her what is for dinner.

A spokesman from the ASA says the watchdog will 'carefully assess the complaints before deciding on the next steps', which may include a formal investigation that could result in the ad being banned.

An Asda spokeswoman said that 80 per cent of its shoppers are mums and in research they were 'overwhelmingly positive' about the ad.

She added: 'The sentiment was that it was "so true". Following the launch on Sunday we received over 22,000 likes on our Facebook page in less than three hours.'

Asda have released a statement which reads: 'To any mums and dads who have been upset by our Christmas TV ad – we’d like to offer our sincere apologies.

'It wasn’t our intention to offend anyone.

'Our ad depicts what many of the 16million mums who shop in Asda tell us they feel.

'It is intended to be light-hearted and fun and in the main that’s how it’s been received.

'We respect all hard-working parents and know just how tough it is managing a family – particularly at Christmas.'

Errkal wrote:Why do Iceland not get gooseberry fool for their Mums go to Iceland thing then.

Fatal Exception wrote:Is it sexist towards woman, because it implies that they should do all the cooking, or sexist towards men because it implies that fathers alone can't give their kids a great Christmas?

Possibly both? The real question here is who gives a gooseberry fool?

Skarjo wrote:Alright, I'll bite.

I haven't seen the advert, but if it suggests what the article is suggesting I would kindly tell it to strawberry float off and would not buy a strawberry floating thing from them this Christmas.

I'm frankly sick of adverts telling me I'm a gooseberry fool at everything domestic because I'm a man. I put on a strawberry floating lovely Christmas dinner every year for my mates and if I was a father I would be pretty strawberry floating pissed off if an advert suggested I did strawberry float all and left whole meal up to my wife.

Backwards-ass retarded thinking.

Oh, yes, I mad.

Mafro wrote:

Skarjo wrote:Alright, I'll bite.

I haven't seen the advert, but if it suggests what the article is suggesting I would kindly tell it to strawberry float off and would not buy a strawberry floating thing from them this Christmas.

I'm frankly sick of adverts telling me I'm a gooseberry fool at everything domestic because I'm a man. I put on a strawberry floating lovely Christmas dinner every year for my mates and if I was a father I would be pretty strawberry floating pissed off if an advert suggested I did strawberry float all and left whole meal up to my wife.

Backwards-ass retarded thinking.

Oh, yes, I mad.

Amen.

Pancake wrote:This advert certainly wouldn't offend me (I probably wouldn't have even noticed the problem if somebody else hadn't pointed it out first) but it is a pretty thoughtless generalisation and certainly suggests they're a bit out of touch with the real world. You'd think the marketing side of a company like ASDA would have more sense than to make these mistakes.

Iron Nan wrote:My mum thought it was pretty damn accurate.