So, we needed to deliver a Christmas campaign that would separate John Lewis from the chasing retail pack, and ultimately, set the benchmark for all brands whose aim is emotional engagement, multi-touchpoint activation, and commercial success.

We wanted to do something different and use our growing brand influence to support a good cause.

We wanted to ensure that all consumer touch points got the Man on the Moon treatment. So we were simultaneously implementing the production of, POS, in-store, windows, bags, merchandise, the film, the app, the social and the digital.

The campaign was widely spread across the country at scale.

‘Man On The Moon’ generated more views, likes, shares, engagements, parodies, buzz and PR coverage than any of our previous Christmas campaigns, helping put John Lewis top of mind and win the public’s hearts.

Our partnership with Age UK allowed John Lewis to harness the power of its brand at Christmas to do good. Awareness of the cause increased, 12,000 people were inspired to volunteer, £183k in fundraising was directly raised and Age UK gained new corporate partnerships worth +£2.5 million.

The campaign helped John Lewis achieve record sales and profits at Christmas, taking £951 million in revenue. In a retail market down -1.8%, John Lewis outperformed the market, with like-for-like sales rising +5.1%. Margin also increased by 3.1% in November and 2.2% in December, amounting to John Lewis’ most commercially successful Christmas to date.

Executed through TV, online, social media, interactive apps, media partnerships, in-store retail, merchandise and PR.

Teasers on TV and social came before the launch of the 2-minute film.

Social amplified #manonthemoon.

An interactive app featured a game and educational content, alongside a Sunday Times partnership.

There was a hub on the website, in-store activation, window displays, merchandise and even a ‘lunar lookout’ in the Oxford Street store.

A partnership with Age UK using TV, digital, social, events and corporate PR extended the sentiment.

And suppliers funded a further burst of TV, social, digital and print channels, promoting gifts.

We wanted to do something different and use our growing brand influence to support a good cause.

In phase one, our ‘Man On The Moon’ campaign featured a heartwarming story of a lonely old man living on the moon, who receives the thoughtful gift of a telescope from a little girl back on earth. Amplified in the store, through the app and through a plethora of digital channels.

In phase two, we extended the emotional sentiment of the campaign through a partnership with Age UK, drawing attention to the problem of loneliness amongst old people at Christmas.

We wanted to:

Create fame for John Lewis at Christmas and win the hearts of the British public

Spread the spirit of Christmas and encourage partners and customers to support a good cause

Grow sales to achieve John Lewis’most successful Christmas ever

It’s been well documented how significant Christmas is for retailers. It’s no different for John Lewis. Christmas represents around 40% of the business’ annual revenues.

Over the last few years John Lewis has made a name for itself with its emotional approach to Christmas marketing. Every year, we try to raise that bar.

As a society, our relationship with the elderly was also an important consideration for us this year. The story shows the bond between the young and the old

in a lovely and warm way, but further to this we endeavored to form a meaningful relationship with Age UK.