Last month I stumbled upon this adorable Christmas commercial for John Lewis (see below).
At first, I was a bit confused at the purpose of the commercial…what the heck do these people sell?! But the storyline had such a magical feel that it perked my curiosity and I looked up the site. John Lewis is a British department store chain. No wonder I haven’t heard of it! So I texted my friend Holly from London and asked her about it…turns out she loves John Lewis! “Every year, people wait for their Christmas commercial.” Holly said.
Wow. The power of storytelling, my friends.
Quick rabbit trail, this same friend is also a political writer and sent me this during the election.
And in terms of marketing, I couldn’t agree more! The British know how to tell an endearing and inspiring story. Stories that touch your soul.
Think about it. Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Broadchurch…the list could go on. And now these commercials!
Ok, one more rabbit trail and I promise to get back on track. So what are Americans good at…ridiculously funny parodies.
Now that you’ve had a good laugh, let’s take a look at John Lewis’ famous Christmas commercial from last year that helped build such a loyal brand following. Get out the tissues, friends!
If that’s not enough to make your New Year’s resolution to #BeMoreBritish, check out this next commercial. Even American companies have better commercials when the British are involved! This next ad is for Amazon Prime in England.
Shout out to Holly who sent this my way with a note: “I cried the first 3 times I watched it. Especially with how tense everyone is right now about Muslims and the general immigrant fear in Europe. That was the PERFECT commercial.”
What makes these British commercials (or should I say adverts) so refreshingly original? What is it about them that rips open the seams of our souls and create an emotional connection to these brands?
These commercials aren’t about products. Because in the end, people don’t want to buy products. They want to invest in love, friendship, and happiness. And these commercials simply reminded us of what that looks like.
Click to tweet this article #BeMoreBritish