The ad, which launched its United Kingdom campaign during Sunday night’s The X Factor, shows two young brothers trying to catch their parents bringing home Christmas presents. Have you noticed how mum and dad have been around so much lately?
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The UK’s advertising body is considering whether to investigate PayPal’s new festive ad, after receiving hundreds of complaints from parents concerned that it suggests Father Christmas might not be real.
How do you tell children that Father Christmas doesn’t exist?
In contrast to their first letters, the children all ask for the same things: to spend more time playing together, have dinner together more often, and have stories read to them.
However, the reason they have not caught them hauling their gifts through the door is because they have ordered them online – instead using PayPal to pay.
Complaints also noted that the advert was inappropriately scheduled on TV. There are only your parents (and PayPal!), who sneak around behind your back and make up excuses to secretly pretend they are Santa.
“We just want to take a moment to say we’re sorry that a few people have been upset by our new UK Christmas TV advert”, a spokesperson for PayPal told The Guardian.
“The complaints have only just come in and we are now assessing them”.
The ASA has acknowledged the complaints but has yet to decide whether there are grounds for an investigation.
“We’re making arrangements that as soon as TV channels will allow, our commercial will run only after 9pm, the watershed, after which it is assumed that younger children will not be watching TV”.
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“I don’t think we’re getting any Christmas presents this year”, one of the boys forlornly says.
