TechPayPal, online shopping, Xmas presents, santa claus, investigations, complain
Nov 10, 2015 12:28 AM EST
PayPal received complaints from UK parents for taking away the magic of Christmas and the mystery that surrounds Santa Claus.
Most kids still probably hold on to the magical belief that Santa delivers Christmas presents in the middle of the night when the children were asleep.
When PayPal's Christmas advertisement appeared on Sunday night in the UK, it showed indirectly that somehow children know that their presents are actually purchased and given by their parents and not by Santa.
It is as if there were no Santa anymore in this age and time when kids are so smart and able to read their parents so intelligently.
The PayPal advertising campaign shows two little boys at home in their bedroom secretly chatting - the older one tells the younger sibling that this year they are not going to get any Christmas presents.
The video shows a few instances of the older boy trying to find out from their mum and dad if they were going shopping for their presents. Since all indications seem to show none, the older one concludes that this year there would be no presents for them.
But come Christmas day, the boys plop down from their beds in pajamas just to find a treasure trove of gifts wrapped in a magical glow under their Christmas tree. The boys are overjoyed.
The final frame shows how the parents did their shopping online on an iPad.
According to Mail Online portal, UK's Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has confirmed receiving 233 complaints.
ASA spokesperson has been quoted as saying that the general nature of the complaints implied that Father Christmas did not exist and that it was inappropriate to be shown at a time when it could be seen by children.
Paypal responded in quick defense, according to CNN Money News, that they took feedback from their customers seriously and did not want to appear as a scrooge and have made arrangements for the advert to be aired after 9 pm when it can be assumed that young children won't be watching any TV.
The spokesperson also said that PayPal's aim was to take a fun look at those Christmas presents kids know come from their parents and not in anyway say Father Christmas doesn't also deliver presents to them
The Guardian has relayed that ASA received hundreds of complaints over advertisements in the past, and that anything above 100 would be considered significant and that they are still assessing the situation to decide whether an investigation was necessary.