Skip to main content

German supermarket wins most emotionally manipulative Christmas ad

German supermarket wins most emotionally manipulative Christmas ad

Share this story

Does the holiday spirit lower your emotional barriers? If so, German supermarket Edeka has prepared an assault on your heartstrings. The company's new commercial shows a lonely family patriarch ignored by his children Christmas after Christmas, then cuts to the waterworks as each child — now grown-up — learns of his death.

The ad has gradually made its way across the internet and over the ocean since its release around Thanksgiving. Of course, there's a twist. Edeka wants customers to associate the brand with positive feelings, and the commercial breaks the viewer down, before building them back up again. Grandpa lives! And I guess we're supposed to thank Edeka for that.

Wait a minute: what the hell is this company selling?