Grocery giant Aldi tried to pull on people’s heartstrings in its new Christmas advert – directing viewers to a functioning real-world phone line with a maudlin message in store.

The new Aldi Christmas advert, which debuted on Thursday (5 November) follows anthropomorphic vegetable Kevin the Carrot and his daughter, Chantenay, as they contend with a lost dog.

In the advert, the “Cauli-dog”, a pooch formed of cauliflower, has gone missing, and the two carrots can be seen placing a “Lost” poster on Father Christmas’s letterbox.

The poster directs shoppers to call Kevin the Carrot if the dog – described as “friendly, but nervous around cheese” – is found, listing the character’s phone number as 03335775577.

The Aldi 2026 Christmas advert (Aldi)

If you contact the number, you can hear a voicemail message from Kevin the Carrot, stating that he is unable to answer the phone as he’s out searching for the pet.

“He's definitely been here, I knew I should've brought a poo bag or two, or three.…