Boss of viral Christmas advert pub says reaction 'beyond their wildest dreams'
It is the £700 Christmas ad that has blown away the big boys.
A small bar homemade video has racked up millions of views on social media. It tells the story of isolation and companionship - beginning with a man who cuts a solitary figure laying flowers at a graveside, then wanders alone through the streets, only to be befriended by a couple and their dog in the pub in Northern Ireland. The pub manager said the response to the heart-warming short film - shot on a mobile phone - had been overwhelming.
“We wanted people to feel something when they watch this video,” Una Burns of Charlies Bar in Enniskillen said. “The idea came really from what we have seen over the years in the bar. Never in our wildest dreams did we expect this reaction. I suppose I just wanted to get across that message that it’s not always a joyful, happy time for everybody - that some people find it really tough, and just to be kind - and that a smile or a simple hello can go a long way.”
Missy the dog goes over to see the elderly man who is sitting alone in the pub after laying flowers at a grave (charliesbarenniskillen/instagram)Many people have been commenting on or sharing the video across social media platforms. It has even generated comment from retail giant John Lewis itself - seen by many as the kings of of Christmas advertising. John Lewis posted on TikTok: “We’re not crying, you are. Merry Christmas.”, followed by a tear emoji. The two-minute video - which cost £700 to make - shows a bereaved man - played by Fermanagh local Martin McManus, 73, in a quiet moment of reflection while laying flowers in memory of a loved one.
In one scene, he walks through Enniskillen, seemingly ignored by passers-by, before entering Charlie’s Bar. There, Missy the dog seeks him out and joins him, before Missy’s owners, a young couple, ask if they, too, can join the man for a drink at his table. Its star, Martin McManus is a member of an amateur theatre group and local couple Meagan Daley and Alex Middlemass and their dog Missy also feature.
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Man lays flowers at the grave of a loved one (charliesbarenniskillen/instagram)Martin joked: “I’m not hoping to get rich from it or anything like that. I enjoy drama, I’ve been at it for years and years; it’s great to get success like this - it’s snowballed, you know?”
He said the ad sent an important message that some people are on their own at Christmas. “There’s also a sad side to it - particularly as you get older because you’re thinking about all your family that’s dead and gone,” he added. “There’s so many things that go through your mind.”
The content creator of the video Aoife Teague has previously created a St Patrick’s Day advert for the bar, but said the reaction to the festive ad had been amazing - particularly the comparisons to John Lewis. “It’s a dream, it’s absolutely unbelievable,” she said. “For people to think it’s similar - to say they like it as much as one of their ads. It’s important to highlight that not everyone has that magical feeling at Christmas time.”
The heart-warming advert cost just £700 to make and was shot on a mobile phone (charliesbarenniskillen/instagram)The song People Help The People by British singer-songwriter Birdy accompanies the advert. The video draws to a close with words from the poet, WB Yeats: “There are no strangers here, only friends you haven’t yet met”.
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