John Lewis Christmas Ad

It’s been the advert everyone has been talking about this Christmas season. Long awaited the ad was aired on 9^th November where it took up an entire ad break during the X-Factor on ITV, giving a sort of film-premier status. Also airing quite obviously but none-the-less cleverly, in between one of Britain’s prime time Saturday night programs. Kudos to the marketing team for that.

Personally I didn’t see it until about a week later, having read tweets and having heard friends incessantly talk about it I was expecting big things. Friends telling me they had been weeping wreck by the end of the advert, I was expecting to see something highly emotional and touching.

Before I share my views of the ad, in the improbable event that you haven’t seen it, I will outline the basics: It features a brown bear and his friend, a hare. The bear has never experienced Christmas because he spends all winter hibernating in a cave, we learn. This makes the hare sad, but he gives the sleeping bear a present in the hope he might be roused from his sleep and join in the fun all the other woodland creatures are having. Since the gift is an alarm clock, his plan works. Here is the ad itself. 

I have to say, I was a little disappointed when I finally saw the advert. Don’t get me wrong I think it’s a great advert and piece of marketing, the theme being that ultimately if you want a gift for someone you love and you want them to love it, come to John Lewis. The ad is trying to connect emotionally with the viewers by tugging at the heartstrings. Whilst enforcing the message that to give someone an amazing Christmas, you have to give them a memorable present, and for that ladies and gents you need John Lewis! The only reason I was disappointed was I didn’t find it that moving, it was a nicely thought out Christmas ad, but didn’t really give me that touching and poignant feeling that other John Lewis adverts have such as the ‘She’s always a woman” ad. Maybe that’s because of the use of real people rather than the cartoons. Or maybe it’s my absolute love for the “She’s always a woman” and that no other John Lewis advert will ever stack up in comparison! But overall I enjoyed watching it, its cute, its christmassy, thats enough for me!