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This might be the best Christmas commercial ever

November 7, 2014Written by George Anderson

The RetailWire Christmas Commercial Challenge is a domestic affair by intent. That doesn't mean, however, that great work isn't being done outside the borders of the U.S. In fact, there can probably be an argument made that the most creatively effective work is found in other markets. A case in point is a new spot, with accompanying marketing campaign, from the John Lewis department store chain in the UK.

As the retailer's website explains, the commercial is about a little boy named Sam and his BFF (best feathered friend), Monty the Penguin. The spot is "a tale of friendship, love and giving someone the gift they've been dreaming of this Christmas." The commercial has already gone viral, with more than 4.2 million views on YouTube.

The commercial is not just a one-off, but a part of a full Monty (yes, that was intentional) campaign. There's a Monty's Den (developed with Samsung) with Monty merchandise in each of the chain's stores, including a stuffed Monty doll and Monty's Christmas, a children's print book with an audio version narrated by Dermot O'Leary. John Lewis is donating 89p to World Wildlife Federation to protect the habitat of the Adélie penguin for every CD sold of the Tom Odell song, Real Love, which is the musical track for the commercial. Monty merchandise isn't just limited to consumers in the UK, as John Lewis points out that the company now delivers to 33 countries around the globe including the U.S. and Canada.

As an Adweek article points out, a sure sign of the success of the Monty campaign is that parodies of the spot have begun to surface, including a laugh out loud version (IMO) from Redshirt Films.

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