The highly anticipated John Lewis Christmas ad has finally arrived which means Christmas is just around the corner.
Once again, the John Lewis team have pulled out all the stops to make this year’s ad as memorable as the rest. The two-minute tale, which was directed by Oscar winning director Michel Gondry, is set around a seven-year-old boy and his friendship with Moz the Monster.
The ad which features Elbow’s cover of the Beatles Classic ‘Golden Slumbers’ is as tear jerking as previous years; as we watch how the pair grow a close bond with each other, it takes a heart wrenching turn as Moz realises that he needs to leave his friend in order for him to grow up.
However, the £7 million campaign has been met with some criticism as many believe the story is confusing and not as heart-warming as other years.
Let’s take a trip down memory lane where we’ll look at the top five John Lewis ads of all time.
5 – Sweet Child O’ Mine (2009)
The 2009 advertisement’s theme was “Remember how Christmas used to feel? Give someone that feeling” and follows groups of excited kids opening up adults presents and then an adult opening their present.
The ad is set to ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ covered by Taken by the Tree and the puts viewers into the festive feel good mood.
4 – Your Song (2010)
Ellie Goulding found her feet in 2010 when the John Lewis ad hit the screens featuring her cover of Elton John’s classic ‘Your Song’.
The heart-warming ad shows the lengths people go to, to make Christmas special for their friends and family.
It’s one of John Lewis’ most memorable ads and will definitely give viewers feelings of nostalgia.
3 – The Snowman’s Journey (2012)
The emotional tale of a snowman who goes to great lengths to get his “snow girlfriend” a present for Christmas brought tears to our eyes in 2012.
Set to Gabrielle Aplin’s beautiful rendition of ‘The Power of Love’, the ad pulls the right amount of heart strings as well as some comic relief to viewers encouraging them to “give a little more love this Christmas”.
2 – The Man on the Moon (2015)
2015 was the year of the Man on the Moon for John Lewis. Once again, they pulled on the viewer’s heart strings as they tell the story of a young girl who sends a present to a lonely old man on the moon.
The theme of the ad was “Show someone they’re loved this Christmas” and it became a viral sensation.
The ad was set to the powerful voice of Aurora who covers Oasis’ hit ‘Half the World Away’.
1 – Buster the Boxer (2016)
The famous £1 million-pound ad is the ultimate favourite amongst most John Lewis fans.
The ad features Buster the Boxer and many other garden animals who can’t resist jumping on a trampoline. The fantastic music featured in 2015’s ad was the Vaults cover of Randy Crawford’s ‘One Day I’ll Fly Away”.
The ad is by far one of the most memorable and funniest.
Megan Conway