Marks & Spencer Apologises Following Christmas Ad Controversy
British retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) has issued an apology following controversy sparked by an Instagram photo. The image, taken from an outtake of M&S's recent Christmas advert, displayed red, green, and silver Christmas party hats burning in a fireplace. Some social media users accused the retailer of insensitivity, suggesting that the colours of the burning hats resembled the Palestinian flag.
The Instagram post was captioned "This Christmas, do what you love... like saying no to paper hats" and the hashtag #LoveThismasNotThatmas. The campaign encourages people to focus on enjoying themselves rather than keeping traditions they no longer love.
In response to the criticism, M&S explained that the intention behind the image was to "playfully show that some people don't enjoy wearing paper Christmas hats." The company also clarified that the advert was filmed in August, before the latest Israel-Gaza conflict began in early October, and that the hats were "traditional, festive coloured red, green, and silver Christmas paper hats."
M&S apologised in a statement posted on X, "Today we shared an outtake image from our Christmas clothing and home advert, which was recorded in August. It showed traditional, festive coloured red, green and silver Christmas paper party hats in a fire grate. While the intent was to playfully show that some people just don't enjoy wearing paper Christmas hats over the festive season, we have removed the post following feedback and we apologise for any unintentional hurt caused."
The controversy sparked a debate on social media, with some users defending M&S, emphasising that the hats are in traditional Christmas colours. Tan France, who appears in the advert, weighed in, saying, "The ad was shot in August, so maybe you're reaching with your ridiculous comments."
Despite the uproar, M&S continues to promote its "Love Thismas not Thatmas” campaign, aimed at empowering customers to focus on the things they love during the festive season.
