Today is the final workday before Christmas! With that in mind I present what was among the first great storytelling ads of Christmas. It was the ad that really hit a nerve and started it all for…you guessed it…John Lewis. So the final one as I had mentioned is what really started it all and it’s called the Long Wait.
The message was spot on timed perfectly with the cover of The Smiths “Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want”. It builds up the drama in one rising action only to flip it on it’s ear for the big tear jerking ending. John Lewis had four ads featured in this countdown and there’s a reason…they’re that good. I could probably just do a 12 days of John Lewis ads but I wanted to really highlight the best examples on these 12 days. In the UK the release of the holiday ads is a bit like Super Bowl Sunday here in the US. Maybe I’m exaggerating a bit…but it’s close. Apple was the only US brand I featured in this countdown mostly because US advertisers haven’t caught on that there’s a longtail benefit to emotional storytelling. You don’t need to slam people over the head with the BUY! BUY! BUY! message when you have a great and memorable story that generates an emotional response from the viewer. Especially when you wrap that message into a heart warming time of year for most viewers like Christmas.
So that concludes my 12 (work)Days of Christmas Video Storytelling, I hope you’ve enjoyed it. More importantly I hope you and yours have a very happy Christmas and holiday season with those you love. Cheers.
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