So…it’s this time of year again where we head into the loft and dust down those decorations, fight for those vital ingredients for the perfect dinner and embrace the good times…yes IT’S CHRISTMAS! I know I can’t believe it myself! So in the midst of draining my bank account with every penny I have, I thought it would be quite cool to give you a little insight into my personal favourite piece of television advertising this year.
There has been one campaign that has stood head and shoulders above the rest for me this year. It appeared on our TV screens back in early April and was an advert that captured the hearts of us all and had us talking and reminiscing about it with fellow work colleagues, family and friends for weeks. Earlier this year, we all witnessed and shed a tear to the stunning advert entitled ‘Never Knowingly Undersold’ by John Lewis.
It tugged at the heart-strings of us all and refused to let go for the whole 90 seconds it was there. The campaign message was ‘Lifelong Commitment’ following a women from birth to old age, taking the viewer through every segment of her well lived life in the process. She is guided through life with the love, support & dedication of her own family, This progresses into another generation as she ages and in the process has here own children and shows them the same love and dedication she received as a child. It is such a strong powerful message put across and highlights with beauty and elegance the key brand values of John Lewis stating that they are there every step of the way. It installs confidence and trust within the viewer easily as you can’t help but feel a connection. The advert cost £6 million to produce and I have to say, for me it was worth every penny.
For me, as a creative, it wasn’t just the inspirational message that hit home with me, it was the way the advert was beautifully crafted and edited – effort sly leading the viewer through different stages of growing up. It is done with such creativity and style that the more you watch it, the more you have to appreciate how clever it really is.
Using the right music in advertising is so important, as important as the advert itself in my opinion. This is what enhances the emotion within the viewer. The soundtrack used was called ‘Always A Women To Me’ performed by the legendary Billy Joel). This on its own is an inspirational piece of music and could only enhance the production more, it was the perfect choice. The song went on to receive multiple awards and was played repeatedly on radio stations all over the UK simply because of it’s exposure and presence within this campaign.
Pure and simple, this has been my favourite campaign of 2010 and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading into why. Just to remind yourselves of the advert itself, here’s a link to it…enjoy!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMtyOCoqHTk]
Before I do go though, I must state how much I love the new Christmas commercial too. It again shows the viewer various scenes that evoke emotion within us all and gives us the chance to remind ourselves of how we do it all at this special time of year. We see a man finding that spare moment in the day to wrap a gift for that special someone. We also see a couple sneaking their children’s presents upstairs as they lie unaware watching television. They are all scenarios we can relate to and therefore indulge in a remember what we did and how we did it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpV-xagkTDU
Quite simply another great piece by John Lewis.
Below are a few other adverts that i have loved over the last year, check them out!
Warburtons “We Care Because Our Name’s On It”
Specsavers ”The Specs Effect”
Honda ”Impossible Dream II”
Happy Tom
Tom Fearon is a Guerrilla marketing expert at Happy Creative, a full service marketing agency based in Blackpool, Lancashire. To learn more or contact us please go to www.happy-creative.co.uk
