British supermarkets have joined together for a show of solidarity with Sainsbury's after it was the target of a racist online backlash.
Aldi, Asda, Co-op, Iceland, Lidl, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose all ran adverts in two primetime slots on Channel 4 on Friday evening.
In the world of advertising running commercials adjacent to competitors' is a no go.
Included in each of the adverts was the hashtag #StandAgainstRacism.
The coming together of grocery giants came in the wake of Sainsbury's The Gravy Song advert.
It follows the story of a black British family reflecting on previous Christmases and sharing their hopes to be reunited this year amid the coronavirus pandemic.
A Channel 4 announcement introduced the ad break on Friday.
It said: “Channel 4 stands up against racism.
"After the reaction to this year’s Sainsbury’s Christmas commercial, retailers have put their usual festive rivalries aside across two adbreaks tonight to stand side-by-side with us too.”
Sainsbury's heartwarming ad included a montage of home video-style footage playing while the phone conversation between family members ensues in the present day.
The excitement for Christmas gets them talking about dad’s gravy and his ‘famous’ gravy song.
The song brings back memories of years gone by, as the daughter tries to cope with the embarrassment of her dad’s singing while admitting her love for the gravy.
She is then heard confessing that she “really wants to be home” for Christmas.
After the tender film aired a number of enraged racists took to Twitter to fume about the mega supermarket featuring a black family in the footage and claimed that they would stop shopping at the store.
One wrote: "Fuming.....just seen the @sainsburys Christmas advert. Won’t be doing any shopping there then!"
Rachel Eyre, the head of brand communications and creative at Sainsbury’s, told The Guardian : “We strive to be an inclusive retailer and we’re proud to unite with our industry colleagues to stand up against racism.
"We’re passionate about reflecting modern Britain and celebrating the diversity of the communities we serve, from our advertising to the products we sell.”
After the unpleasant backlash an advert by Co-op featuring a black woman was also targeted with racist comments online.
In response the supermarket tweeted: “We’ve had some racist comments about our TV ad.
"Online communities shouldn’t welcome these views, neither should society and we definitely don’t welcome shoppers who think it’s ok to post racist tweets.”
