Monty the Penguin, Mog the Cat…the John Lewis Christmas ad has given us a host of festive favourites over the years. This year, however, the internet jumped the gun somewhat when a video showing the plight of a lonesome snowman suddenly went viral under the pretence of being the retailer’s seasonal short.
All the hallmarks of a classic John Lewis Christmas cracker were there: sad acoustic music, cute animation and a heart-warming ending where Mr and Mrs Snowman are finally reunited after years of being stuck inside respective snow-globes. The truth, however, is that this was the A-level Media coursework of a certain Nick Jablonka, whose work has been viewed on YouTube hundreds of thousands of times – more than House of Fraser’s actual add, starring Laura Mvula’s music.
As calls for Jablonka to be given a job in John Lewis’ advertising department intensify, the real advert is expected to launch on Thursday 10th November. Unlike Nick’s effort, the actual ad is said to have cost around £7m. It follows 2015’s ‘Man in the Moon’ campaign, which took twelve months and £1m to make and cost around £6m in advertising slots.
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Instagram Image from @shichi115