Every year when Christmas comes around numerous companies are always rushing to get their adverts out to the public. One of these companies is the very well-known UK company John Lewis, who have built a reputation for the past few years for having making emotional and memorable TV ads. The ad I have chosen is from 26 about a Dog called Buster who loves trampolines.
Buster himself is already a huge promotional item for John Lewis because who doesnt love dogs? His huge mouth, his floppy ears and adorable eyes will make anyone say 'awwh' in an instance. This makes the eventual ending all the more pleasing as when we finally see Buster bouncing on the trampoline. Throughout the ad, Buster has been kept at a distance from anything bouncy, and has to go through the pain of others enjoying something that he desperatley wants to be a part of. If anything, Buster represents we the audience. Every Christmas we wait for a special present that we wanted all year round and when we finally get it, we celebrate like Buster. The trampoline could represent a John Lewis shop, so the advert as a whole could be a hidden code for our secret love for John Lewis.
The ad to me also ressembles lonliness and freedom. There numerous shots of Buster in the centre of a frame with very little around him. In these frames he isnt panting or looking happy, he is instead sad and calm. The casting of a boxer dog is put to its advantage here as Boxer dogs are able to stretch their upper lip downwards (creating a frown). Because of this, the dog is able to convay emotions as if he was a human being.
If you're an animal lover and think that Buster is the only animal in the ad, well you're in luck. Quite a few animals, who somehow managed to scale a garden fence, get to experience the joy of bouncing on a trampoline before Buster does. These animals include Foxes, Badgers, Hedgehogs and Squirrels. Normally all these animals would not be fine with eachother and would probably hunt eachother down, but instead they all share a fun time on the trampoline. Not only is this heart-warming it is also a hidden code that John Lewis' products can put peoples (or animals in this case) differences aside and be enjoyed with no conflict.
The ending is incredibly emotional as Buster finally gets his turn on the trampoline, but it is how it shows us that makes it emotional. When we see the little girl smile and run for her new present, it makes us forget about Buster for a breif second because we remember how long she has been waiting as well. Luckily Buster appears from out of nowhere; beating the girl to the trampoline and finally getting what he wanted from the start. As a result he starts rolling around everywhere we tells us his excitement and joy without a single piece of dialogue being said.
As a whole, the 2016 John Lewis Christmas advert as a whole is as good as the others, and has everything you'd expect from their 2 minute masterpieces. It has wordless story telling done greatly, characters that have compelling short story arcs, and a delightful ending that may make you cry.
Comentarii