John Lewis uses Smiths cover in Christmas ad
John Lewis is featuring a cover of The Smiths’ “Please, please, please, let me get what I want” in its £6m Christmas ad campaign.
The campaign launches online on Friday (11 November) via Facebook and YouTube. It will air on TV on Saturday (12 November) during The X Factor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSLOnR1s74o
The cover by singer songwriter Amelia Warner, who performs as Slow Moving Millie, will be available to buy on iTunes from 9am on Friday. Last year the Ellie Goulding cover of Elton John’s “Your Song” that featured in John Lewis’ Christmas ad campaign, reached number 2 in the singles charts.
The department store says the ad celebrates “the anticipation and joy of giving”. It shows a young boy counting down the days until Christmas, implying that he cannot wait to open his presents. However at the end of the ad it is revealed that his excitement is about giving his parents a gift.
The 60-second ad, print, in-store and online marketing were created by Adam & Eve.
Print ads focusing on John Lewis’s top 100 gifts will launch on 1 December.
John Lewis marketing director Craig Inglis says: “It’s a magical feeling when you find that perfect present for someone, There’s a great sense of anticipation from the moment you buy it to the moment you give the gift on the big day. That feeling is exactly what we’ve tried to capture with this year’s Christmas campaign.”
The department store caused controversy last Christmas by featuring a dog left outside in the snow in its festive campaign. It cut the scene after a number of consumer complaints.