Like many, I’d wondered what 2020 Christmas ads were going to bring. Were they going to be focused on raising a laugh, a tear, a smile; reflecting on the tough year we’ve had or instilling hope for the future? Here are my thoughts on a couple of ads out this week…
I’ll start by saying that I appreciate the John Lewis Partnership ad, I really do. I like the cultural relevance of ‘give a little love’ – this perfectly sums up the mood of 2020, encapsulating the small neighbourly acts of kindness that brought us together earlier this year, reminding us of how this mindset extends through the festive season. It’s a lovely watch, and as usual has me feeling all warm, fuzzy and festive at the end.
But the problem is just that – for me, it does little else. I look at my Facebook feed annually around the John Lewis ad release date. It’s filled with people sharing the ad. Brilliant, it’s shareable content – that’s another thing it does! The thing is, those people are not, and have never been JLP shoppers. My hunch is that those who share, love, consume this content aren’t actually considering the JLP brands (or if they are, chances are they already were). They’re more than likely aware of the brands, they’re probably feeling more empathy towards the brands, but they’re likely not considering making a purchase as a result of the ad. The ad drives short-term talkability over long-term relevance for me. Perhaps that’s what it’s supposed to do, but perhaps it shouldn’t be…
Of course, it’s a brand ad. It’s not meant to drive direct response – we know this. But I’d argue that even the most high-level brand ad should create some sort of action, appraisal, reappraisal, demand or desire for the product or service.
Contrast the LIDL ad. Out today, a parody of the JLP-esque ads that pull on our festive heartstrings. It commands attention, it disrupts. It has a punchy personality and just like LIDL, it doesn’t take itself too seriously. It makes me stop and look up. Above all, it’s real. The idea of ‘a Christmas you can believe in’ is one I buy into – it’s delightfully relevant, pragmatic, instilling just enough hope and magic, without being sickly sweet or on the other hand cynical. The products look amazing and tempting; that Christmas pudding shot – yum! Even the carrots look outstanding and the voiceover tells me they are delicious, so they must be…
Ironically, I’m not a LIDL shopper, but I am a JLP shopper. I love to visit my local John Lewis, Waitrose or .com versions of both. John Lewis’ ‘Never Knowingly Undersold’ proposition works for me – it enables John Lewis to be a one stop shop, seamless, convenient and ever so slightly special. I get the same feeling when I shop in John Lewis Partnership as I do when I fly BA, “Welcome Mrs. Dewhurst, good to have you back”. Old-fashioned British service.
Of course, these are different ads for different businesses, different audiences, for different purposes. They probably shouldn’t be compared. The briefs will have likely had polar opposite objectives and I can’t imagine how tough it must have been to even think about briefing Christmas 2020 when there was so much uncertainty around where the mindset and mood of the nation would be due to Covid-19. The fact that any Christmas campaign is airing right now is a credit to the flexibility, resilience and bravery of the client and agency team behind it and I take my hat off to them all.
As for me, I’ll continue to love JLP as much as ever, and will certainly be getting my festive fix at some point soon (most likely when John Lewis price matches a branded promo so I can benefit from their seamless e-com or special customer service). But, like thousands of others, I’ll be reappraising LIDL, trying my luck with some of that delicious-looking Christmas pudding and testing out those truly scrumptious carrots.