Lomza ad starring Karolak blasts Christmas and the media

Santa Claus, beer and the spark that set the media on fire

The Łomża brand’s Christmas spot with Tomasz Karolak in the role of Father Christmas was supposed to be a light-hearted, ironic play on convention. Instead, it became the ignition of a nationwide scandal. In the ad, Santa sets bottles of beer under the Christmas tree, opens them himself and throws out the slogan: ‘for the first time in my life I feel like playing with presents, which I brought myself’. It is this image – a symbol of childhood combined with alcohol – that has triggered an avalanche of comments, complaints and emotions that go far beyond the spot itself.

Beer advertising as an image landmine in show business

Celebrity participation in alcohol campaigns increasingly rarely builds prestige. More often it becomes the beginning of an image crisis. Karolak’s case fits perfectly into this trend. The actor found himself in the spotlight not because of a new role, but because of an advertisement that sparked a public debate about the limits of marketing and celebrity responsibility.

Beer – an alcohol with a special status

One of the main points of contention has become the specificity of Polish law. Beer is the only alcohol whose advertising is allowed in Poland, albeit under certain conditions. Critics of the campaign pointed out that even if the spot was formally aimed at adults, the use of the figure of Father Christmas – strongly associated with children – raises serious doubts. The director of the National Centre for Counteracting Addictions, Bogusława Bukowska, PhD, was particularly vocal in this context, announcing that she would be filing a complaint with the public prosecutor’s office, saying:

“In the commercial, Santa brings a gift of alcohol and – please note – drinks the alcohol himself, feeling great afterwards. The child does not have developed criticism, self-reflection and the ability to properly analyse the situation – in him such a message shapes the belief that alcohol is great for any occasion, including the indispensable Christmas. (…) It is promoting a culture of drinking from an early age”.

Complaints, scrutiny and regulator response

The issue quickly went beyond the media commentary. Complaints from viewers started arriving at the National Broadcasting Council, prompting the regulator to initiate an inspection and call on broadcasters to stop airing the ad. The official stance of the KRRiT emphasised that

“there is no consent to offend values, while the social good is subject to protection”.

The commercial, which was meant to be a festive accent, became a symbol of a wider discussion about the presence of alcohol in the public space.

Celebrity sues celebrity

The affair culminated in a move by Adrian Klos, who announced that he was filing a notice to the prosecutor’s office and suing Tomasz Karolak and the beer producer. The actor argued his decision with his experience as a father of three children and publicly stated:

“I am suing Tomasz Karolak and the producer of Łomża beer. I don’t know about you, but I, as a father of three young children, do not want them to see advertisements online or on television with Santa Claus drinking beer and encouraging them to buy it. (…) I have just submitted an official notification of suspicion of an offence to the Warsaw-Wola District Prosecutor’s Office against the Van Pur S.A. company and against Mr Tomasz Karolak”.

In his subsequent statements, Kłos emphasised that in his opinion the advertisement was an attempt to reach the youngest children and directed direct questions to Karolak about the responsibility of a public figure:

“Mr Karolak, as a public figure and a father, you bear particular responsibility for the role models you sell to other people’s children. (…) Humanly speaking, aren’t you ashamed in front of your children? (…) Our children are not commodities, and Santa Claus should not stink and be associated with beer”.

 

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Post udostępniony przez Adrian Kłos (@adrianklos_)

Celebrity comments and domino effect

More media figures got involved in the case. Ilona Łepkowska commented on Karolak’s participation in the campaign in harsh terms:

“The money, probably not insignificant, that Tomasz Karolak earned from appearing in a beer commercial reeks of the breath of a dad who got drunk on ‘herring’ with his friends”.

Ilona Felicjańska was also critical of the commercial, recalling her own experiences with addiction.

With this, the case began to function not only as a conflict between actors, but also as a symbolic debate about the responsibility of celebrities.

Producer’s statement

In response to the allegations, Van Pur SA, owner of the Łomża brand, presented its position. The company emphasised that the commercial“passed the standard TV station collation process without raising any ethical or legal objections” and that the campaign was prepared for adult viewers and broadcast in the evening band. The producer also pointed out that a ‘bad Santa’ convention , readable by adults, was used consciously, and noted that the ad “in no way suggests that the character created by Tomasz Karolak has abused alcohol”.

The ad with Karolak ignited a storm

The Łomża advert with Tomasz Karolak in the role of Santa Claus has ceased to be just an element of the Christmas campaign. It has become a symbol of a wider debate about alcohol, the limits of marketing and celebrity responsibility. Regardless of further decisions by institutions and courts, one thing has already happened: one spot was enough to trigger one of the loudest scandals of the season in Polish show business.