Now that the countdown to Christmas has official begun, parents everywhere are on the alert for any hints or clues that could ruin the magic for their little ones.
While most Christmas adverts tap into the magic of the season, featuring Santa Claus himself, PayPal has come under fire for its ‘no presents’ advert.
The ad shows a little boy telling his brother that he thinks they won’t be getting any Christmas presents this year, as he has been watching his parents and has noted the distinct lack of bags and presents.
The camera then switches to Mum and Dad scrolling on their tablet, placing online orders for toys.
While a UK advertising watchdog was flooded with complaints from angry parents who had watched the ad, many more took to Twitter to voice their concerns over the potential damage of airing this ad in front of kids.
@katienorrissays @standardnews whose stupid idea was this @PayPal advert anyway?? Who goes, 'right ive got an idea, let's RUIN Christmas'
— Kerri O'Shea (@kerriosheaa) November 3, 2015
Why does the @PayPal advert ruin christmas for any children watching. Absolutely awful
— Emma McAuley (@mcauley26) November 2, 2015
Can not believe your advert @PayPal, are you trying to ruin the magic of Christmas for young children across the UK. Not a happy mum!!
— Julie Bellas (@JulieBellas) November 2, 2015
“PayPal’s new Christmas ad is a disgrace. Any child who can read will be asking questions about Santa straight away,” wrote one mum, who added in a ‘ruin the magic’ hashtag.
Another disappointed dad tweeted: “Thanks for spoiling the magic of Xmas with the advert. Santa gets the gifts, not mum and dad…Think about it for young kids.”
PayPal has since issued a statement in response to the uproar, with a spokeswoman saying: “We just want to take a moment to say we’re sorry that some people have been upset by our new UK Christmas TV advert. Our ad aims to take a fun look at those Christmas presents kids know come from their parents, and not in any way say Father Christmas doesn’t also deliver presents to them.”
She added that PayPal has now adjusted its schedule so that the ad will only be aired after 9pm.
Check out the ad below – what are your thoughts?
