A Christmas you'll never forget

Have a tissue at the ready. UK retailer John Lewis is famous for their touching Christmas ads, but this one is just too sweet for words (and has been cleverly woven into many marketing channels). Their comprehensive £7m campaign tees off with this 2-minute animation entitled "The Bear and the Hare", which is a story about how the first snowflake of winter effects the friendship of two woodland buddies. Winter is all about hibernation for the Bear, so he's never experienced Christmas... until Hare leaves him a present that lets Bear enjoy the festivities for the very first time.

The ad is just one piece of a comprehensive marketing approach which includes in-store, experiential and social media platforms. Leading up to the launch was a teaser campaign on TV featuring parts of the final ad (featuring the hashtag #sleepingbear), and these snippets were also used in an installation on London's South Bank. An interactive e-book of the story will be available to download, as well as the ad's song (sung by Lily Allen, available on iTunes). Personalised online Christmas cards will be available on the retailer's website, and 11 John Lewis stores will feature Bear's Cave for children to visit. Oh, and there will be cuddly toys of the characters for sale, too.

The Green Room Verdict: This is another campaign John Lewis adds to its collection of heart-warming Christmas advertisements, with chief executive Andy Street commenting that the story will help position the retailer as "owning Christmas in the UK". A bold statement to make, but this is a pretty decent crack at that goal!