Organically or not, the John Lewis Christmas advert has become like the opening ceremony for Christmas in recent years, much like Coca Cola’s ‘holidays are coming’ was in the 90s. Each year we expect another heart-warming advert to get us into the Christmas spirit, however some years can be a disappointment. For the past few years I have found that John Lewis have failed to meet our expectations, however one of their adverts that was definitely far from disappointing for me was their 2015's Man on the Mood advert.
2015’s Man on the Moon, part of the retailer’s £7m campaign, is about a girl who attempts to bring cheer to an old man stranded on the moon. As part of the campaign, John Lewis teamed with Age UK to raise awareness around loneliness; proceeds from several different products will be donated to the charity.
The advert tells the story of a magical and unexpected connection between a little girl, Lily, and a man who lives on the moon. Lily discovers the man after looking at the moon through a telescope in her house. Desperate to contact him, she tries and fails to send a message to her lunar friend numerous times via paper aeroplanes and all sorts. As Lily begins her Christmas day celebrations with her family, we see a present tied to a set of balloons land in the man’s arms. The man on the moon opens the present to find a handheld telescope, points it at the earth and sees Lily waving from her window. A tear rolls down the man’s eye as he waves back. The advert ends with the strap-line ‘Show someone they’re loved this Christmas’.
John Lewis balances depressing scenes with familiar and festive ones, being careful not to depress the audience but gently tug on their heart strings. The happy ending helps this - with the balloons bringing colour to the otherwise grey landscape of the moon, we see what thoughtfulness can achieve on Christmas.
Unlike most advertising, the John Lewis adverts aren’t used to directly sell products to the viewer. They’re not looking for someone to come into the store the following day, It’s about building an emotional connection with the shopper to reinforce the brand, which can have a halo effect into the following year.
The song used is a cover by Aurora of Oasis’s ‘Half the World Away’. This song has already appeared on TV plenty of times before it was picked up by John Lewis, like when it used to be the theme tune to the BBC sitcom, ‘The Royle Family’. For some, it will conjure up memories of going to see Oasis as a teenager in Britpop’s heyday. For others, it will be about family nights in watching sitcoms around the TV. The use of a piano is intentional too. It is the instrument of our childhood, it is how many songs begin, and it offers a childlike purity to the experience and perhaps subconsciously reminds us of singing around the piano as a family.
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