John Lewis’ much-anticipated Christmas ad always attracts haters, but I have to tip my metaphorical hat to the brand and Adam & Eve/DDB again for keeping the bar so high. This is a beautiful piece of craft superbly directed by Seb Edwards and the ease of the narrative belies the labour involved. The choice of Elton John, and the device to tell his story backwards, keeps the campaign fresh while harking back to the heritage of the brand, which has used John’s songs in two previous ads.
The retailer's festive ad is the most picked apart work of any season, sometimes triggering naysayers who predict the death of the Christmas epic. But reinventing a campaign year after year is a rare feat and capturing national interest with emotional storytelling can only be good for this industry’s reputation.
Brand John Lewis
Title The boy and the piano
Client Craig Inglis, customer director, John Lewis & Partners
Agency Adam & Eve/DDB
Creatives Ant Nelson and Mike Sutherland
Director Seb Edwards
Production company Academy
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