Westlife Front Woolies' Christmas Campaign

27.10.06

Westlife are the stars of a new £25 million Christmas campaign for Woolworths.

The chart-topping Irish boy band will appear in a new TV ad singing White Christmas.

The ad, set in a fantasy Woolies store, will be broadcast from Wednesday.

Woolworths marketing director Stephen Robertson said: "We love Westlife at Woolies."

"With 13 number one singles they are one of the biggest bands ever and they connect very well with our customers."

"On set they had a lot of fun and were naturals when it came to acting."

The band follows in the footsteps of X Factor winner Shayne Ward, who was the star of the store's Easter TV campaign.


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First of all (for the people who haven't figured it out), this is of course the UK Woolworths and not the Aussie version. That's why they have Westlife and Shayne Ward, and we do not. Because Aussie Woolworths can't even get Lisa McCune.

Second of all, I have to laugh at the use of the word 'acting', considering the amount of time they actually spend on screen. Somehow I doubt it's that difficult to mime one line of a song (badly) and throw snowballs at a puppet. But I'm not a trained actor - what do I know?

Thirdly, and I've saved the funniest for last... WHITE CHRISTMAS?! No, seriously, WHITE CHRISTMAS?! I do realise that it's one of the most famous popular Christmas songs of all time, but does that mean Westlife do (or have ever done) a good version of it? Of course not. In fact, anyone who's heard the song will know that it's one of the most boring, trite, embarrasing songs Westlife have ever released, and that includes When You Tell Me That You Love Me.

Rumour is it'll be released as a single to coincide with the advertising campaign. If that's the case, the Woolies marketing exec needs to be strung up in a dungeon and made to listen to the song five times in a row. Only then will he have repented for his mistake. But I do see where he was coming from - it's much easier to get a boyband to mime to a song than to record two lines of a new one.

Anyway, check out the ad. It's actually not that bad, for all my ranting and raving, and you get to see Westlife throw snowballs. Which is a lot more amusing than it actually sounds.

For me, anyway.