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The Conversation
The Conversation
Michal Chmiel, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London

Christmas adverts are hijacking the Love Actually feel-good spirit to get us spending more

Richard Curtis Keira Knightley Hugh Grant Waitrose

The Christmas advert season has officially started, and Richard Curtis’s genius is all around – again.

From the carrot expressing love on a placard in the Aldi advert, to the moment when Keira Knightley finally says yes to Joe Wilkinson (and to his food) in the Waitrose commercial, the Love Actually film seems to be everywhere in Christmas adverts. The spending spirit is being neatly squeezed into our minds, just like the extra syllable in the original lyrics of the Love Is All Around anthem.

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