Silent Sainsbury's falls victim to Led By Donkeys PR stunt over GB News ads

#SilentSainsburys is trending on Twitter today as the grocery giant comes under increasing pressure to stop advertising during Nigel Farage’s new show on GB News.

Activist group Led By Donkeys tweeted this morning: “Sainsbury’s has now been asked several thousand times to justify why it pays Nigel Farage’s salary by advertising on his TV show, but all those people have been met with silence. So we took their messages to Sainsbury’s HQ.”

It also shared a video set to The Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel and showing a van driving up to the HQ, with a digital screen featuring tweets from unhappy customers.

Sainsburys has now been asked several thousand times to justify why it pays Nigel Farage’s salary by advertising on his TV show, but all those people have been met with silence. So we took their messages to @Sainsburys HQ. SOUND ON#SilentSainsburys pic.twitter.com/3iQI8WFzYq
— Led By Donkeys (@ByDonkeys) August 6, 2021

One reads: “Do you believe the majority of your customers are happy with you advertising on GB News?”

“Nigel Farage is spreading his particular brand of hate on there, including disparaging the RNLI for saving migrants. I am a regular customer and bitterly disappointed.”

During his GB News show, Farage recently labelled the RNLI, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, a “taxi service for illegal trafficking gangs” for saving migrants’ lives in the English Channel.

His comments prompted a furious social media backlash and a surge in donations to the service.

Down with that sort of thing

Many Sainsbury’s customers have been taking to social media, claiming they will shop elsewhere until Sainsbury’s takes action on this. Here are a few sample comments.

My usual Friday morning would involve going to Sainsburys in Weymouth, today I shall go to Tesco in Dorchester instead ... #StopFundingHate
— Billie Joe McAllister (@BillieJoeMcAll1) August 6, 2021

I've used Sainsbury's as my weekly shop for 15 years. Just did the math - about £78k spent there. At least.

Today for the first time ever, I did my weekly shop at a different supermarket. And will continue to do so.

I cannot abide @sainsburys support of @GBNEWS + @Nigel_Farage
— MBaszko (@BaszkoM) August 6, 2021

I’ve moved to @Ocado, feels much better spending my money with them knowing they aren’t funding #hate
— Amy Byrne (@AmyByrne14) August 6, 2021

Right leaning GB News, which launched earlier this year, has seen several big name sponsors pull ads in recent times, including Ikea and Kopparberg, following public pressure.

Sky Media allegedly placed many advertising partners on the channel without informing them first.

Sainsbury’s, which last year was accused of being too woke with its Christmas campaign, is now the last UK supermarket openly backing GB News, after Co-op jumped ship.

UPDATE: Sainsbury’s has now followed Co-op’s lead.

A spokesperson said: “We are a non-political organisation. We advertise across a wide range of media outlets, including TV to reach all of our customers.”

“Our latest multi-channel TV campaign, which has now ended, included a very small number of ads appearing during the GB News programme. Our customers’ feedback is very important to us, and we continue to regularly review our marketing activity.”