The Christmas ad. Gets me every time. Call me sentimental but the best Christmas ads are crafted by master storytellers who know exactly how to pull the heartstrings so you pull the purse strings—no mean feat at this most competitive time of year.
From Apple’s ‘Misunderstood’ Christmas short to Coca Cola’s role in making a jolly Santa Claus the mainstay of Christmas, Christmas ads have profoundly impacted our perception of brands.
In my case, I’m a particular sucker for Christmas ads from British retailer John Lewis. Always hotly anticipated, hugely debated and eye-wateringly successful, they’ve achieved the status of a Christmas institution here in the UK, akin to mince pies and the King’s speech.
John Lewis’s festive films are heartwarming, perfectly formed nano-stories that always wrap up with a twist. They are earnest without being mushy. They blend nostalgia with cool soundtracks. They can’t help but trigger a little lump in the throat—if not a full-blown tear fest.
For many years, John Lewis for me, was a rather anodyne mid-range department store. If you needed a dependable and good-value washing machine with warranty and installation thrown in—you went to John Lewis.
However, my perception of the brand changed dramatically after seeing one its most iconic Christmas ads on social media. The 90-second clip, directed by Dougal Wilson and adam&eveDDB agency, ‘The Long Wait’, released in 2011 caught my attention first with the soundtrack—the luscious cover of The Smiths sombre tune, ‘Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want’. The Smiths, a brilliant and irreverent eighties British indie band was not something I would have put in the same sentence as John Lewis before, let alone associate with their Christmas ads.
The film was surprising, charming, pared-down, relatable and removed from the standard festive tropes. A young boy is impatient for Christmas to arrive, a feeling cleverly expressed through his eyes’ anxious sweep of the advent calendar and further reinforced by a montage of scenes where he gets ever more exasperated. However, on Christmas morning we see his gorgeous smile at last. But in this story the kid does not rush to his parents’ room to tear open his presents. He simply can’t wait to give them the gift he has waited so long in anticipation to share. It concludes with the line: ‘For gifts you can’t wait to give’.
It turned out that this ad would become the Christmas ad that launched a thousand Christmas ads and the gift that kept on giving for John Lewis. It sparked a fresh approach to adverts across the world. And a deeper appreciation of John Lewis by the public.
‘The Long Wait’, was a game-changer for John Lewis commercially too. 2011 sales rocketed 9.3% to £596 million in the five weeks to December 31, up 9.3% on the previous year. The campaign clearly translated into sales as it bucked the depressed retail environment at the time. Online revenues rose 28% and the campaign sparked a huge media buzz going viral on social media.
However, it had a long-term impact too. The advert and other John Lewis Christmas films have transformed perceptions of the brand—and won the retailer legions of new loyal customers.
The ad demonstrated the power of effective and authentic storytelling. How strong emotional resonance powered by brilliant human stories trigger something beyond the purchase decision. When such storytelling is inspired by a brand’s genuine purpose and comes from a place of authenticity, its power is significantly amplified and long-lasting.
The John Lewis brand purpose played a huge role in informing the creative for this ad. The company was founded over 100 years ago by John Spedan Lewis, who began an experiment into a better way of doing business by including staff in decision-making. He set out the principles for how the company should operate and produced a written constitution to help partners (everyone who works for John Lewis is a partner) understand their rights and responsibilities as co-owners. Since its founding, the John Lewis Partnership has set out to be a force for good, aiming to make sufficient profit to create a partnership that is fairer and more sustainable for all the partners, customers, suppliers and communities it serves.
The advert itself is a story about the power of giving and sharing. John Lewis shared a life-affirming story that delighted the nation. When customers gave John Lewis their business, John Lewis shared the profits with their staff partners, and the virtuous circle continued.
It certainly made me think differently about the John Lewis brand. Since watching it John Lewis has become much more than a sensible choice for basics (though it still fulfils that role). It’s my go-to retailer for Christmas shopping, wedding gifts, home decor, sports gear, kids’ paraphernalia, toys…the list goes on.
The John Lewis promise is: ‘Working in partnership for a happier world’. I think ‘The Long Wait’ encapsulates this brand purpose beautifully.
