Emotions run high in the new Elton John Lewis ad
They kept us waiting for what seemed like forever but the John Lewis & Partners’ Christmas ad is finally here!
The UK department store released their Christmas ad entitled Elton John Lewis this morning (Thursday 15). The UK chain kept the public waiting for longer than usual and changed a number of their storefront names from John Lewis to John in the lead up which built up the excitement even more.
This morning their ad was released to the world with mixed opinions. This year’s ad feels very different to anything they’ve done before. Years gone by have featured woodland creatures, penguins, and monsters, often with playful and youthful tones. This year was a step away from that, with the brand using the life of global pop star Elton John to tell their Christmas story.
The chain changed their name to John Lewis & Partners earlier this year so perhaps Elton John Lewis is a statement to the world that they are moving in a new direction, or maybe they just fancied a shake up of the traditional model they have stuck to for so long.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNbSgMEZ_Tw
An emotional perspective
Our UnrulyEQ Insights team have given us their first impressions of the Elton John Lewis ad and what emotions they believe it evokes. They have also looked at how it compares on an emotional level to John Lewis & Partners Christmas ads from the past three years.
A clear trend across the past three years has been that of aiming for the relatable and the magic of Christmas; ‘Man On The Moon’ focused on loneliness around Christmas, ‘Buster The Boxer’ on the sheer joy of Christmas and ‘Moz The Monster’ on the experience of monsters under the bed, whilst bringing a loving Christmas attitude to the story.
Elton John Lewis on the other hand offers a complete change in focus and goes down the route of watching the life of a pop legend in rewind. The ad ends with him as a child getting his first piano for Christmas. It offers a clear depiction of the effect a gift can have on someone’s life. Receiving a piano set the course of Elton John’s life and career, which turned out to be life-changing.
How does it compare?
Previous years’ focus on relatability has proved to drive a strong emotional response amongst viewers; tugging at the heartstrings by portraying the magic of Christmas through the innocent eyes of children. In contrast, even though Elton John Lewis is likely to be less applicable to the greater population, it is likely to drive strong pride evoked from depicting a national treasure such as Elton John. This is likely to be coupled with warmth from depicting not only Elton John’s extraordinary career, but also that he was once just a boy receiving a gift at Christmas.
Even though many will find Elton John’s story emotional, there is likely to be a proportion of viewers who question the ad’s emphasis on Christmas. Furthermore, with the film ‘Rocket Man’ being released in the spring, which tells the story of Elton John’s life, some might query the promotional aspects of this ad.
Ultimately, with much anticipation, we are awaiting the true effects of Elton John Lewis which marks a new style of Christmas ad from the brand. We are expecting a strong but potentially polarising emotional response from the British people.
Check out our insights on some of the most popular Christmas ads from the past few years.
