Jim Cunliffe: [00:00:14] If this was number six, that would be halfway. You can’t go halfway at number five. You’ve got to play number five. And then that’s halfway.

Martin Henley: [00:00:22] It’s not, though, is it?

Jim Cunliffe: [00:00:24] Do your maths.

Martin Henley: [00:00:25] Ten, nine, eight, seven, six.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:00:28] That’s one.

Martin Henley: [00:00:28] Five, four, three, two, one.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:00:31] Right. And you’ve just welcomed them, back on to number five.

Martin Henley: [00:00:35] You’re second five.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:00:38] You’re premature. No. Five. There you go. Five. This is the fifth one.

Martin Henley: [00:00:43] So after nine, be welcome. Eight, seven, six. End of part one. Five, four, three, two, one. End of show.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:00:55] Right. You just explained it yourself that this isn’t the first one of the next lot. This is the last one of the first one.

Martin Henley: [00:01:02] No, I haven’t. I’ve just explained it exactly. Tell you just. Nine, eight, seven, six. That’s five. That’s half. Stop. Yeah, We’re stopping. We’re walking in the welcoming them back now for number five. No, five, four, three, two, one. Yes.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:01:17] One, two, three, four, five. Why are you coming backwards?

Martin Henley: [00:01:20] Because we’re counting down from number ten.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:01:26] No. Okay. Yeah. All right.

Martin Henley: [00:01:28] Brother.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:01:29] No, no, I’m not sure. I’m not sure.

Martin Henley: [00:01:31] Well, be sure, bro. We’ve seen five, and now we’re going to see another five. This is part two. You’ve made my mind up for me. This is part two. Okay, good. Once upon a good Christmas.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:01:40] Oh, no, no, Look, Wait, wait, wait. We’ve done four.

Martin Henley: [00:01:45] We’ve done five.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:01:47] Oh, no, this is five.

Martin Henley: [00:01:48] No, we’ve done five. Let me count with you again. We did number.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:01:54] Ten.

Martin Henley: [00:01:55] We did number nine, We did number eight. We did number seven and we did number six. Five, and there are five to go.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:02:07] Hey. All right.

Martin Henley: [00:02:09] Okay. We good?

Jim Cunliffe: [00:02:09] You’re right. All right, I’ll just. Counting wrongly.

Video: [00:02:12] One week later.

02:13 Sainsbury’s.

Martin Henley: [00:02:13] All right. So welcome, everyone, back. This is my first Christmas row. Good. Okay, good. Right. So here we are. Sainsbury’s once upon a pud in at number five.

Video: [00:02:30] In a far, far away land. A feast was being planned. Perhaps. Thermidor, Crumpet, Delicious Cider Glazed Gammon. Yes. Yes. I love all that. You. What do you have? For dessert. I’ve never really liked Christmas pudding. Oh. Bring me something different. Or else. Or else. Or else. Biscuit.

Martin Henley: [00:03:14] That’s teenage dirtbag. Like with Christmas bells. What on earth?

Video: [00:03:21] Treaty time. It’s a Christmas pudding. Uh oh. Is that Caramelised Biscuit? Yes, Countess. Mhm. That’s a better me. That’s why you can taste the difference. Sainsbury’s.

Martin Henley: [00:04:00] Right. Good. Let’s just say because I know you’re thinking it, so let’s get it out of the thing. They have absolutely nailed the racial presentation. Like 100%. The black lady countess, the scrawny little white guy, serve. Perfect. Really nails racial sentiment, I think, in 2022.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:04:28] I wasn’t thinking anything like that.

Martin Henley: [00:04:29] No. Okay, good. All right, well, I saved you from thinking it. Now you are thinking. What are you thinking now?

Jim Cunliffe: [00:04:35] No, not at all. I thought it would be full of I thought full of solicitors. But actually, Allison was the only the only famous person in there.

Martin Henley: [00:04:44] She’s Alison, is she? She’s from Birmingham. Okay, good.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:04:48] And she’s been presenting for years. I was expecting more. More solicitors. But, I mean, I think they were all extras, weren’t they?

Martin Henley: [00:04:55] I think so. I don’t know.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:04:57] Look, it is. I mean. Jesus.

Martin Henley: [00:04:58] Yeah. I thought you might be thinking that. Anyway, that’s cool. That ad, they’re really pinning their stripes to the. Their flag to the. The Christmas pudding with Caramelised biscuit in it. Like that’s it. That better be the seller. That better be The litle.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:05:18] Don’t like Christmas pudding. So it’s an alternative that I don’t know. I haven’t tried it. I don’t eat Christmas pudding myself.

Martin Henley: [00:05:25] Yeah, but that’s literally the only product in it. I mean they did a flyby of all the other stuff, but that was it. That’s why you can taste the difference. Like so basically Sainsbury’s gambit for an amazing Christmas is putting Caramelised biscuit in there in the. Christmas pudding. I mean, famously, I think nobody really enjoys a Christmas pudding. I don’t know how you feel about Christmas pudding.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:05:48] No, I’m not a fan.

Martin Henley: [00:05:49] No, I’m not a fan either. But, you know, I think there’s got to be horrible things at Christmas as well.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:05:53] I’m not a fan because I really don’t like custard.

Martin Henley: [00:05:57] Oh, I really do like custard. For me, that’s the best bit. I don’t like fruit. That’s my thing.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:06:03] I don’t like the skin of custard.

Martin Henley: [00:06:05] Oh, we just give it a stir and it won’t have a skin on it.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:06:07] Oh, no, no. That doesn’t actually get rid of it. It just breaks it up and it’s still there. It’s disgusting.

Video: [00:06:14] Disgusting.

Martin Henley: [00:06:15] Old skin is ever so slightly drier custard. And when you mix it in with the rest of the customer and it becomes rehydrated.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:06:23] And you’ve tasted the lump, then and then it’s not wrong. So I’m not a fan at all.

Martin Henley: [00:06:29] Okay. All right, good. Okay, good.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:06:31] If it’s called custard, like, you know, out of a foil container, it’s fine. But when you make it yourself, heat up the milk and then it starts to get the skin on it, That’s disgusting.

06:44 Asda.

Martin Henley: [00:06:44] Okay, good. All right, well, I’m learning lots about you today. Shall we move on to number four? We’ve got four remaining. Shall we see what’s in fourth place? Sure. I think this is a little bit more traditionally Christmas. They’ve got the elf. Oh, but that’s. That’s not the guy, is it?

Jim Cunliffe: [00:06:58] Yeah, This is a CGI. It’s a very, very, very good advert. This one. I see this a lot. They’ve just taken the whole movie and CGI it in and it’s brilliant. I mean, the licensing must be quite expensive.

Martin Henley: [00:07:11] Yes.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:07:13] But you’ll enjoy it.

Martin Henley: [00:07:16] Okay. Good. Shall we have a look?

Jim Cunliffe: [00:07:18] Yeah.

Video: [00:07:25] Sorry. All right. You better watch out. You better. Excuse me. Can I help you? I’m Buddy the Elf. You must be here about the job. Nice costume. Oh, it’s not a costume. I’m an elf. Okay, well, we’ll show you around. What’s this? Beautiful. Going to find out who’s naughty and nice. What do you want for Christmas? And I’ll put in a good word with the big man. Oh, I hope I lost a giant elf. First, we’ll make snow angels for 2 hours, and then we’ll go ice skating and then back to the shop floor. He knows if you’ve been bad or good, so be good. Oh, actually, you’re not supposed to eat those. Okay. I’m singing. I’m in a store. Let’s get you on the checkouts. Was that you singing just then? That’s the way to spread. Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear. I just like to smile. Smiling is my favourite. Oh, you better watch out. Better not cry. Oh, wow. I’m telling you, you did this once. You got the job. You mean I can stay? Sure. Oh, so a nutcracker.

Martin Henley: [00:08:54] Okay, good.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:08:55] You’re smiling because it’s a great film. It’s it’s one of the best Christmas films out there. And I mean, he’s just so, so good. It. Have you seen the movie?

Martin Henley: [00:09:09] I don’t think I have.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:09:12] It’s incredible. Yeah. Beautiful story. And that’s taken from the department. He gets a job in a department store and he decorates, he decorates overnight, comes in in the morning, and then the boss is like, Who did they send you from? Head office? You know what’s going on? And I mean, they’re. It’s brilliant. Brilliant.

Martin Henley: [00:09:32] Good. Okay, good. Well, I like the creativity. It’s very Christmas, obviously. You know, if you’re saying that’s one of the greatest Christmas movies, maybe I’ll watch it this Christmas.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:09:43] Watch it today. I think you should watch it while you go to bed tonight.

09:48 John Lewis & Partners.

Martin Henley: [00:09:48] Okay, good. Maybe I’ll do that. All right, good. So we are into now the top three. Do you have any idea what’s in the top three? You’ve mentioned these ones already. Actually, let’s not play a guessing game. At number three, we have John Lewis.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:10:05] So this is what.

Martin Henley: [00:10:06] John Lewis bastion like archetype of the Christmas ad. Let’s see what they have to say.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:10:21] I’ve seen this.

Martin Henley: [00:10:23] You’ve seen it.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:10:24] This is nice. This is. I’ve seen it. It’s very product like, this is a story. Do you want me to give you a summary?

Martin Henley: [00:10:31] No. Let’s watch it and you can explain it to us if it needs explanation.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:10:35] It’s a tearjerker this one. It’s nice.

Martin Henley: [00:10:38] Is it? Okay, well, I’m quite stricken to tears. Why is that middle-aged old man in a car park on his own trying to skateboard?

Jim Cunliffe: [00:10:47] It’ll Come together? It’s a beautiful story.

Martin Henley: [00:10:48] All right, let’s go.

Video: [00:10:51] Yeah, We can’t wait. We’re going to piece. We’re really excited. Merry Christmas. All the small things truth care truth brings. I’ll take. Yeah. Fine. You’re right. Best trip. Always. I know. You’ll be at my show watching, waiting. How did it go? You nailed it. Rating. Say it ain’t so. Turn the lights on. You carry me home. Hey, Annie. Hi. Oh, yeah, I skate bit too. You want to come in? It’s cool. It’s not as good as yours. I don’t think. Oh, I just have a few stickers, that’s all.

Martin Henley: [00:12:12] Oh, mate.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:12:15] Good innit? Nothing to do with food or anything, but it’s just a nice story. No?

Martin Henley: [00:12:25] No.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:12:27] You like that.

Martin Henley: [00:12:27] Nah, I really didn’t like it.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:12:30] Why?

Martin Henley: [00:12:33] Well, it’s not true. Apart from anything else?

Jim Cunliffe: [00:12:36] No. No. People adopt kids all the time. Why? So he knows that she’s into skating. He teaches himself skating. So he’s got that familiarity with her. She gets dropped off. She sees he’s a skater. She puts her at more ease. What’s wrong with that? That’s a really beautiful story.

Martin Henley: [00:12:50] Okay.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:12:53] I see that.

Martin Henley: [00:12:53] Experience of this. I was a foster carer. So she’s in care. She’s not being adopted. If the truth is, the cold, hard reality is, if you are her age, 12 13, the likelihood of you being adopted is absolutely minuscule. Like, kids don’t get adopted at that age, so the likelihood is that they’re foster carers. It doesn’t happen that you get three months to practice skateboarding before these kids come. They come in the middle of the night with a carrier bag of stuff. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. So? So I think I’m not moved. I’m actually.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:13:31] Right. What’s the description say?

Martin Henley: [00:13:34] The description says, okay, John Lewis didn’t technically invent the Christmas ad genre, but it’s certainly perfected. It was genre classics like The Long Wait, which almost made me want to have a kid or excitable. Edgar I don’t know anything about these things. And many fantasy epic which made me want a toy dragon much more achievable. This year, the nation’s most sensible department store has gone sombre. A stock figure, hapless dad is learning how to skateboard, watching videos in his dull grey office or hitting the skate park after dark. How tragic a midlife crisis we’re meant to think. But he’s actually doing it to bond with a foster kid who arrives clutching her own skateboard. And it’s not just empty sentiment. The ad comes with a commitment to supporting kids in care. Well played, John Lewis I think absolutely, categorically not. I think that’s hideous. I really think that is horrible, cynical, like literally so. So I’m right proving my experience. It was a foster kid. That’s not how they arrive. You don’t get weeks to practice skateboarding because you’ve got a foster kid arriving. Literally. They arrive in the middle of the night and with a bag of like a small bag of stuff. And it’s tragic. And I think it’s extraordinarily cynical that John Lewis are leveraging that to sell whatever they want to sell turkeys and Christmas cakes and whatever. I think disgusting.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:15:04] Okay.

Martin Henley: [00:15:05] You challenged me, bro. You challenged me.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:15:07] Oh, no, I don’t. I mean, I. I thought it was a beautiful story that he did that. But like you say, if it’s not real, it’s not real.

Martin Henley: [00:15:18] It’s nothing like real. So I haven’t even done the research. I mean, how many social workers would they have to talk to understand? Actually, this is what it’s like.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:15:25] Well, there’s not. That, is it? They sell a studio around some marketeers come up with this advert and like, Yeah, it’s brilliant, really. And so people like me who don’t know the system think it’s a beautiful story. You have been there and seen it. You know, the reality, you know, it’s bollocks, but.

15:43 Waitrose.

Martin Henley: [00:15:43] The reality is very different from that. And then I think leveraging that to sell a few. What I want to say Christmas. What the Christmas. Mince pies. I think it’s really cynical. Horrible. Okay, good. Let’s move on with our lives. Okay. Waitrose, There’s a picture of a kid. Let’s see.

Video: [00:16:05] It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Everywhere you go. Take a look in the five and ten. Listen and once again, with candy canes and silver lanes are globe. It’s beginning to look a lot. Like Christmas toys in. Every store. But pretty aside. Here’s the Harley that will. Be on your. We replace it. What? It’s more.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:17:12] Do you think this is anything? Do you think this is a climate change global warming thing? Did you see the wind whipped his hat off and like, Oh, yeah, because of global warming and the farmers, like, don’t forget what’s going on in Holland at the moment where their fucking 3000 farmers are being shut down and moved off so they can build this super city. It’s like, yes, this is a bit like. And then you’ve got the whole, the whole, you know, the family environment there.

Martin Henley: [00:17:38] It’s yeah. I mean, I was thinking they made a huge effort to go to all of these 12 different countries for these entirely different climates. Like where is it cold enough? Where are you? I don’t know. That obviously wasn’t one country. I’ve never seen a wind blow like twice in my life. I’ve seen the wind blow like that in the UK. I mean.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:17:59] I’ve never seen this block that it wasn’t there wasn’t even much of a cap on it to get wind to. I think there’s a bit of string on it. Pull it off like that.

Martin Henley: [00:18:07] Yes. I don’t know what that was. I honestly don’t know what that was and I don’t. Like it.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:18:19] There’s no carrots left. Was it carrot or was it a piggy bank? Piggy blanket? You cried. They should have told him.

Martin Henley: [00:18:24] Oh, yeah, the brat kid screaming because he didn’t get a sausage. And then the little girl has to give up her sausage and he’s like, No, no, no, don’t worry. You look after your Christmas dinner. I mean, no. Yeah, I’ll have it. I’ll have that sausage. We don’t know. I reckon that kid, probably eight sausages before it got to that point. I think that kid ate everyone’s sausages. Yeah. Give me your sausage. Give me your sausage. I don’t like that kid. I don’t like that ad. I don’t know if it is about global warming or climate crisis. I don’t know.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:18:56] Oh, don’t about it. Go carrot. The carrot. You know, Kevin, when he was shot into the snowman and he. And it turned into a penis joke.

Martin Henley: [00:19:05] Yes.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:19:08] We didn’t discuss that, but it was like that was a bit wrong.

Martin Henley: [00:19:11] It was actually funny. I thought.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:19:14] Well, the penis joke.

Martin Henley: [00:19:15] Yeah. Yeah.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:19:17] Okay.

Martin Henley: [00:19:17] I don’t think we have to call it a penis joke. I think we can call it a knob gag.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:19:22] That you could do that.

Martin Henley: [00:19:22] Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think that’s what they normally call it. Okay, we’ve only got one to go. We’re going to have to reorder these in a second. So be ready to do that and we’ll give you our actual ranking. I’m sure we’ve spent much more time considering this than the people at time Out did. So I think we are far more qualified now, like completely up to date with the social references, everything. I think we’re ready. Okay.

19:46 Boots.

Martin Henley: [00:19:46] So in number one position, according to time out, who I think are probably wrong is Boots. The Boots Christmas advert 2022 Boots sell quite a lot of stuff, don’t they? Let’s see what they’ve done and then we can talk about it. It’s shorter. All of the others have been exactly one minute and 30 seconds. This one’s one minute and 11 seconds. So maybe short is good.

Video: [00:20:12] Excuse me. What I want you got might be hard to handle. But like a flame burns the candle.

Martin Henley: [00:20:22] Hall and Oates. Always think of Christmas when Hall and Oates comes on. Always. For me that that nails Christmas.

Video: [00:20:35] What? I got full stock of thought stream the scatter when you pull them all together and I. They. True. Girl. Oh, yeah. You make my dreams come true. Boots. Bring joy for all this Christmas.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:21:20] Why? Why the gay son is a tranny. Why the gay son is a tranny? Well, he’s just a gay son. It’s like, why? Why tranny?

Martin Henley: [00:21:33] Yeah. Why? Why? Why?

Jim Cunliffe: [00:21:36] That’s really.

Martin Henley: [00:21:43] When. OK yeah. And why is this number one? That is the least creative least.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:21:52] I’d love a pair of those glasses. I love a pair of those glasses.

Martin Henley: [00:21:54] But why? So is that why people want people want for Christmas, perfume, glasses and. I don’t know. Was it curling tongs or something? I don’t know.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:22:05] They didn’t even push the three for two offer.

Martin Henley: [00:22:08] They did, did they?

Jim Cunliffe: [00:22:10] No, I don’t think they did.

Martin Henley: [00:22:11] Oh. I was a little bit distracted.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:22:15] By what?

Martin Henley: [00:22:16] Okay, so when you say tranny, should we say that again? Are you referring to somebody who’s transitioning or.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:22:22] No, no, no, no, no. A transvestite or a queen of drag. Drag queen. Why the drag queen?

Martin Henley: [00:22:30] Cross-dresser?

Jim Cunliffe: [00:22:32] No, look at it. Go back. Play it. She looked at her son and then puts her glasses on and drag queen. And then for Christmas, she gets him a hair dryer.

Martin Henley: [00:22:43] Oh, okay. Alright, so number seven glasses. Hall and Oates puts the glasses on the bus. Party on the bus. Christmas all of a sudden because she can see. She’s got Christmas tinted glasses. Candle tinted glasses. Okay. So he doesn’t even isn’t really even presenting as. Lgbtq. However, you’re supposed to say that, I’m not sure. And now he becomes a drag queen because she’s got her Christmas or the transvestite or cross-dresser. Is that two women.

Martin Henley: [00:23:59] Is it that she puts the glasses on and then she knows what everyone wants for Christmas?

Video: [00:24:08] Boots bring joy for all this Christmas.

Martin Henley: [00:24:17] And then she doesn’t need the glasses on Christmas Day because she knows what everyone wants. Not number one for me. Not number one by a long shot. Right. So I’m going to get a piece of paper so we can actually sort this out properly. Yeah.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:24:34] Hmm.

Martin Henley: [00:24:35] Are you ready? Right, I think. Well, I think, Lewis, why they called I think John Lewis 10th for me. I think that’s a horribly cynical manipulation of the tragedy that is going on in child care. I really do think that is hideous. I’m saying number ten, you’re going to argue with that.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:25:03] Well, I liked it, but, you know. Yeah. So you charge?

Martin Henley: [00:25:10] Yeah. Okay. So I’m saying John Lewis in 10th. So which for you then is the worst? Oh, McDonald’s for me is number nine. That was.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:25:20] Pretty good. You know what’s missing here?

Martin Henley: [00:25:23] What’s missing?

Jim Cunliffe: [00:25:24] Iceland.

Martin Henley: [00:25:26] Iceland. Yeah, Mum’s gone to Iceland.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:25:29] I mean, look at Iceland for 2022.

Martin Henley: [00:25:32] Okay, so Youtube. Iceland Christmas 2022. Christmas in Reykjavik.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:25:54] No, no, no, no, no.

25:56 Iceland’s “Not yet Noddy”.

Martin Henley: [00:25:56] Iceland Market. Christmas market. Iceland Christmas ad 2022. Iceland’s Not yet Noddy.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:26:07] Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Good. It should be in there. This should be in there.

Martin Henley: [00:26:12] Yeah, it should be.

Video: [00:26:17] It’s great. No, no, not yet Noddy. Don’t you know the football zone? And have we got some treats for you? Exclusive luxury party food from just £3 or get a hat trick of party favourites with 83 for just £5. Pretty good spread, isn’t it, Noddy? Discover the land of party in-store and online at Iceland and the food warehouse.

Martin Henley: [00:26:44] Okay. What are we thinking?

Jim Cunliffe: [00:26:45] That’s a Christmas ad.

Martin Henley: [00:26:48] That’s the way Christmas ads used to look. They definitely used to look like that.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:26:54] Is it because the rest of them have got stories and budgets behind them?

26:58 Conclusion.

Martin Henley: [00:26:58] I think, well, apart from Aldi is here and Lidl is here. I think they haven’t done anything like that’s what Christmas ads used to look like. Three, four, one, two, four, one pie food, naughty holder. You know, he did that really well in that signature single once. And then everyone’s done it really badly since. And he’s not doing it well since either. I think I go good. I also think that time Out maybe has a slightly more upmarket market than Iceland. What do you think? Although little and I suspect Lidl and Aldi have gone a little bit more upmarket more recently. Right. So I’m going to go I’m ranking these in terms of the worst. So McDonald’s was worst. And then I think once upon a purred Sainsbury’s I’ve got in a Sainsbury’s. I hope you’re making your own lists. Asda was good, John Lewis is already bad, Waitrose are with the greedy kid one in everyone’s sausage. I’m going seventh Waitrose. How is that the sentiment of Christmas. The bracket wants the sausage boots. I’m going sixth and that is my bottom five in at five I think in at five I think. Um, probably Tesco. The party broadcasts Tesco. I think. Number four, Aldi. That made me laugh. Lidl if they’ve. What have we still got? Waitrose is gone. Boots is gone. John Lewis’s gone. Asda was really good. Asda for Sainsbury’s is gone. And I think Sainsbury’s is in.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:28:54] Fourth.

Martin Henley: [00:28:56] Sainsbury’s. So my top three are, I think the best was. Well, I think the best was, I’m going to go. Tesco was better than Sainsbury’s. I’m going to go Sainsbury’s five. Tesco’s for. Third. Second first is Aldi.

Video: [00:29:19] Lidl.

Martin Henley: [00:29:20] And. Mass. I’m going to mass third. I’m going to go. Um. Mr. Astor? Yeah. What has do? I’m going to go little. I’m going to go little number one. If they’ve really created all this buzz around these products, that’s amazing marketing. And I’m going to go all the way to. So you have to be impressed with the way I did that. So counting down and in 10th place, John Lewis. Horribly cynical manipulation of the plight of more than 100,000 children in the UK. That’s abysmal. Macdonald’s got absolutely nothing to do with Christmas. Ah, Sainsbury’s I had in number eight. I think Sainsbury’s did better than that Waitrose. So I’ve missed somebody off the list. Oh no, I was so impressed with that. Tesco M&S. If I missed off the list.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:30:24] I’m not doing the list. I’ve just I just scroll down to number one, which for me is Asda, the buddy, the elf.

Martin Henley: [00:30:32] Oh that’s Asda. Yeah. So that’s the one I missed out. So Tesco’s number five. Um. Yeah, I think maybe I agree with you as the number. Well, it wasn’t even very I don’t know as to is either in fourth or first for me. That’s what I think. Good. What’s the lesson for anyone who’s investing in their marketing? The lesson is I don’t particularly enjoy all of this seasonal stuff. It seems like every 20 minutes there’s another reason for people to go out and spend money. Don’t particularly enjoy it, but Christmas obviously is Christmas. I hope these people spend as much time in church as they do in the supermarkets, buying stuff like remembering the joy of Christmas, Jesus Christ, our Savior and all of those things. The thing is, marketers got a market, you know, and at Christmas time, this is when the spotlight really is on these particular businesses. And I think they do it really well. I would prefer to see. We’re going to talk about this on the news this week, But there’s a piece out about brands that have lost their way. They’re trying to be too purposeful. I think we’ve seen this here in the Boots advert. I think we saw it in the in the. And we saw it in the biscuit advert Biscuit in the Christmas pudding advert. Too much purpose. I’d like to see more value in these things. Don’t rely on having the right stereotypes in your ads. Just do a fantastic job. And in that sense, I think the best for me was probably Marks and Spencers because honestly, I was salivating looking at that food, thinking, Yeah, I would love to be enjoying all that food this Christmas and getting a bit drunk. What do you think? After learning. What’s the takeaway?

Jim Cunliffe: [00:32:29] Let’s.

Martin Henley: [00:32:32] You don’t care.

Jim Cunliffe: [00:32:32] Just. I don’t give a shit.

Martin Henley: [00:32:36] Just sit around for an hour looking at ads. You’re happy with that?

Jim Cunliffe: [00:32:39] Yeah. And, you know, I’d just like the. The use of Buddy the Elf. Such a good movie. You need to watch it. That’s what I’m learning. That you need to watch more TV.

Martin Henley: [00:32:49] Okay. And I’m also learning that you can’t count brilliantly either as well. So, yeah, we’ve learned about each other. That’s what we’ve done. And I feel like we’ve come slightly ever so slightly closer together. This Christmas. When we do this next year, I will desperately find a piece of tinsel and put it up at my end so that there’s some balance. Okay, super cool. Then I think we are done. Is there anything you’d like to add?

Jim Cunliffe: [00:33:13] No, thank you for having me.

Martin Henley: [00:33:14] You are very welcome. Is there anything you said that you maybe shouldn’t have said? Do you think?

Jim Cunliffe: [00:33:21] Doorbell.

Martin Henley: [00:33:24] I love you, man. Have a great Christmas. I’ll catch you next year.

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