Every year I wait impatiently for John Lewis to release their Christmas advert to see which of my heart strings they are going to pull and how they will make me feel.

This year’s ad featuring ‘Moz the Monster’ is about bringing to life the power of children’s imagination and the joys of great friendship.

John Lewis Christmas ads have been part of a successful long term brand building campaign using Christmas tradition to connect their brand around family values, sharing and wonderment with their audience – and the strategy is working.

The Christmas campaigns have been running since 2011 and have been attributed to an average of 16% increase in sales over the festive season between 2012-2015. They are also the most shared ads on the internet with the 2016 John Lewis Christmas ad being viewed over 25 million times.

Successful brands know how to build connections with their customers and that is to do it with emotion. Emotional connections rise above superficial pricing and convenience meaning customers stay loyal for the long haul and are less likely to defect to competitors.

Simplistically to build emotional connections with your customers consider the following:

  1. Make your customer a priority of your business
  2. Listen to your customer and demonstrate how you understand their everyday needs
  3. Develop your company personality by letting its human out – people connect with the people
  4. Be consistent in the delivery of your company personality in everything you do and say

Consumers define themselves by the brands they use and the more connected they are to your brand the more likely they are to become advocates for you and amplify your message to their family and friends.

Like John Lewis, building your brand is a long term strategy, and incorporating emotion is invaluable in differentiating your brand from competitors and help create a deep seated relationship between your business and your customer.

Now getting back to this year’s John Lewis Christmas ad. Did the ad make me feel warm and fuzzy and connect me emotionally with the essence of Christmas as they have in previous year’s? The short answer is no. But I’m swimming against the tide, Brandwatch is reporting consumer sentiment is running at 86% positive and 14% negative so it looks like John Lewis have another success story on their hands.

What do you think of the 2017 John Lewis Christmas ad compared with previous year’s?