London calling – a Blighty Mom’s view of what’s on..
by Annabelle King
British kids are miserable and wallowing in a worthless sea of materialism according to a new report published by UNICEF. And hey guess what? It’s all our fault – we the parents. We are working too hard to pay for all this ‘stuff’ they need and don’t actually have time to talk to them any more. All they want is us and apparently, we’re never there.
So, with yet another finger of parental guilt prodding at me, I watched this rather charming new campaign from one of our biggest grocery stores Sainsbury’s at the weekend during the X factor.
It put a smile on my face and although I thought momentarily that I was going to cry when I saw the Dad and his kid running down the beach by themselves, it did reinforce how important it is to spend good quality time with your children. Oh and the Mum appears at the end – thank goodness. This one is also cute too. Very clever Sainsbury’s, hitting two big social hot potatoes in one go – healthy eating and good old fashioned play with your kids..
As a parent, I am always worrying when I see headlines like ‘double dip recession’ and ‘gloomy economic outcome’. My husband has been laid off twice in his career although thankfully not for very long.. But as a one income family with three kids, one can never rest easily on one’s laurels.
So this new ad that broke across the entire ITV1 network during the first episode of the brilliant new series of Downtown Abbey did make me feel strangely reassured.
I’m not denying that the use of children in advertising inevitably tugs at one’s heartstrings but what I like about this ad is that everything about it is calm, soothing, reassuring and frankly, makes me feel safe. It’s clever – what Dad won’t relate to being bombarded by crazy screaming children as he walks through the door in the evening? How many of us do lie awake at night worrying about how we are going to pay for our kid’s education? It may be a tried and tested formula but it is executed perfectly.
It makes me feel like I could pop in for a nice cosy chat and a cup of tea.
Annabelle King lives in Shepherds Bush, London and after a ten year crazy career in advertising, gave it all up to be bossed about by her three little girls. In 2007, following the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann, she began writing her blog “to my children, for my children“. Despite a career in account management, the secret copywriter in her always longed to break free and she is now listed in the Tots 100 UK parent blogs and trying to carve out a new career as a writer. Having married a fellow advertising executive, she and her husband sadly still enjoy watching the ads.. a bit too much.
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