Mixed emotions at lacklustre Christmas ads

It’s a depressing phenomenon those who spend an excessive amount of time on social media are now seen to represent the ‘voice of the people’ (as if ‘the people’ always speak with one voice).

This week ‘the people’ have been demanding - were always apparently demanding something - that the man behind ‘a tear-jerking Christmas viral video’ (The Sun) is hired to make the next festive John Lewis advert.

The film has reportedly attracted millions of views on Facebook ‘after videographer Phil Beastall posted it on Facebook in response to the store’s big budget production with Elton John’.

The video depicts a man opening box of cassettes on Christmas Day and ‘playing a tape of his tragic mother’s final Christmas message from beyond the grave’.

The report is augmented by the usual batch of half-witted tweets and Facebook posts, as ‘the people’ have their say on this important issue.

One says: “Best advert ever, maybe John Lewis should pay him a million.”

Another adds: “In tears. I have no words except John Lewis, tell your advertising team they [are] sacked.”

I’m not sure exactly who is unhappy about John Lewis’s advertising budget - apart from ‘the people’ obviously - but it’s not as if this is public money that could have been better spent on, say, hospitals or fixing potholes.

If John Lewis want a big budget production with Elton John, that’s their business. It hasn’t exactly done them any harm when it comes to free publicity.