Lonely old men and cute dogs will mess you up every time

Marketers, forget your B-list reality stars, ditch the glitter cannon, and don’t bother with the expensive optical ray tracing software for whatever animated character you’re hoping will smash into the zeitgeist – all your Christmas campaign really needs to cut through to the masses is a lonely old man and a cute dog.

A homemade commercial for a Northern Irish pub has gone viral on TikTok after successfully pulling at the collective heartstrings of the world by highlighting the following universal truths:

a) The inherent kindness of humans.