Santa Claus is coming to town

Ad agency TBWA has never been known for its “yob” ads, or for stretching the boundaries of taste.

But 16 complainants to the ITC think differently. In a TBWA ad for Debenhams, designed to show the excitement of Christmas, two children were shown under their parents’ bed opening presents they had found hidden there. As the complainants pointed out, the ad could quite easily spoil a child’s belief in Father Christmas. The ITC did not uphold the complaints, saying it did not amount to a rejection of the idea of Father Christmas.

For any kids who are reading the Diary, sorry but Father Christmas was created by a bunch of desperate marketing men. In fact it was Coca-Cola that first portrayed St Nicholas as the bearded red and white clad present giver. The colours reflected those of the Coke can.