The Man On The Moon 2015 John Lewis Christmas advert, soundtracked to AURORA's cover of Half The World Away, sees a young girl befriend, as the title implies, a man on the moon.
This advertisement doesn't seem to have parts that target it at specific demographics and I think that is what John Lewis do well with their Christmas adverts, make them universal. So not only do we have the spectacle of waiting for it to drop but everybody with television and/or internet access can enjoy it. Psychographic wise I would say this more fits the mainstream experiencer, those who value emotions and other people's opinions. The very buzz around the John Lewis Christmas adverts gives people something to talk about hence why I think this fits best with the mainstreamer, because they will have those conversations with friends and help with the promotion of the advert. The idea of people discussing this freely ties in with the uses and gratifications model and the concept that people watch things in order to find out more about the circumstances of other people. Out of all the psychographic groups, I do think the mainstream are the most likely to actively seek out this advert to discuss it.
The preferred reading of this advert is that Christmas is a time for sharing and we (the British public) should be sharing and looking out for others. Having a child as the star of this advert tells children that caring and sharing is a good thing to do and reminds adults of the idea, essentially showing them that a young child can reach out to others so why can't they. There is also the fact that this young girl put a load of effort in to reaching this man she didn't even know, seeing how happy it makes him in the end and reminding us how much it's appreciated when you go the extra mile for somebody.
On top of this, there is the undeniable message of loneliness amongst elderly people and showing this old man living completely alone, on the moon, tells us that he is isolated and lonely. reminding people to reach out and check on/keep in touch with elderly people in their lives. The way we see The Man On The Moon's sheer joy at the fact that somebody has cared about him and sent him this Christmas present really drives home the fact that company and impassion is so important to those living alone and/or battling loneliness.
Not only is it heartwarming with a fairly blatant storyline, paired with the (very suitable) song and lyrics of Half The Word Away, this advert really has the ability to bring people together and make people's Christmas.
I think that the advert was created to show the importance of spreading kindness during Christmas as there may be people who need it. It shows how effective a simple act of kindness can be and encourages others to do the same. Others may not view the advert in this perspective as they may think that it is very unrealistic for a child to give a present for an old man and so think that the advert is tacky or cringey.