Sainsbury's: “Christmas 1914”
The Christmas truce of the First World War, when soldiers left the trenches to meet.
- Brand
- Sainsbury's
- Year
- 2014
- Agency
- AMV BBDO
- Category
- Retail
On Christmas Eve 1914, British and German soldiers in opposing trenches hear each other singing carols. The next morning, they climb out into no man's land, shake hands, share food and play football. A young British soldier secretly slips a chocolate bar into a German soldier's pocket.
Made by AMV BBDO for the UK supermarket Sainsbury's in 2014, a hundred years after the event, the ad was produced with the Royal British Legion. A chocolate bar based on the one in the film was sold in stores to raise money for the charity.
Some viewers found it inappropriate to use war in an ad, while many others found it moving. Either way, it is a striking example of a brand telling a real historical story at Christmas.
Watch the full ad on YouTube
Could you recognise it with the logo hidden? This ad is one of 129 famous commercials in Guess the Ad.
Play Guess the AdMore stories
- John Lewis — “Monty the Penguin”2014 · A boy notices his penguin friend is lonely and finds him a companion for Christmas.
- IKEA — “Lamp”2002 · An old desk lamp is thrown out in the rain, until a Swedish man tells us we're crazy to feel sorry for it.
- Aldi — “Kevin the Carrot”2017 · Kevin, a brave little carrot, goes on a Christmas adventure to meet Santa.