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Waitrose and John Lewis’s Christmas ad is inspired by the kindness shown by the British public during the pandemic
Waitrose and John Lewis have unveiled this year’s Christmas advertising campaign, which – inspired by the kindness shown by the British public during the pandemic – encourages viewers to give a little love to others.
The advertising is one element of a major campaign by the two retailers, which was also launched, on National Kindness Day, under the strapline ‘Give A Little Love’. The campaign aims to make a lasting difference to some of those hit hardest during 2020.
Together John Lewis and the company are aiming to raise £4m for two charities: FareShare, which helps those facing food poverty and Home-Start, which works with parents who need support. £1m will also be donated by shop Partners to charities who support families in their local communities. The charities will use these donations to provide food, comfort, emotional support and advice to at least 100,000 families in need.
Since the pandemic started FareShare has had to double the amount of food it distributes to meet the rising demand, and over one-third of Home-Start centres have seen an increase in demand for its services.
The story of ‘Give A Little Love’ was created by advertising agency adam&eveDDB. A two-minute ad is designed to inspire the nation to give a little love to those around them, while a complimentary 30-second ad carries a direct call to support the two charities.
Customers will be encouraged to give a little love in five different ways; making a charity donation, buying campaign products with 100% of profit donated to the charities, using their loyalty card to increase the Partnership’s donation, giving a little love to someone they know who needs it and helping in their local community.
Customer donations up to the value of £2m will be match-funded by a donation from the John Lewis Partnership. A further fund of over £1m has also been created to ensure all of the retailers’ shops will be actively partnering with FareShare and Home-Start and a range of local family charities in the communities they serve.
The two-minute advert is a celebration of different forms of moving art – from animation and claymation to CGI and cinematography. It is made up of nine different vignettes created by eight different artists who are leading experts in their particular art, including Chris Hopewell, who has created music videos for Radiohead and Franz Ferdinand, and French animator Sylvain Chomet.
The scenes are connected to create a long chain of giving, as each film passes the campaign’s heart emblem on to the next part of the film. The storyline illustrates how acts of kindness, large and small, can multiply and positively impact the world in which we live as we pass them on to others. The different ‘moments’ of kindness captured in the film are designed to appeal to different audiences, from children upwards.
The unique approach was chosen in a spirit of kindness towards the creative industry, which has been hard hit by the pandemic. Instead of a single production team, multiple artists were selected, giving employment to many people across the creative industry.
The 30-second complementary advert was created by four post-graduate students from Kingston University who were chosen for their distinctive styles, which are joyful, yet humble. Both adverts were directed by acclaimed British director Oscar Hudson.
In another step away from its traditional approach, for the first time, a new song was commissioned for the Christmas campaign. Written and recorded by British soul singer, Celeste, the song is also called ‘A Little Love’. Last year, she won a Brit Award and in January this year, she was crowned BBC Music’s Sound of 2020. Every time the track is downloaded Celeste and her record label Polydor will make a 10p donation to the campaign.
James Bailey, Executive Director of Waitrose, said: “The pandemic has highlighted the growing inequalities across the country, with those who are already most vulnerable disproportionately impacted. Through our partnerships with FareShare and HomeStart, we’re aiming to make a big difference to the lives of 100,000 families in the UK.
“Each year festive adverts come and go – and some are remembered more vividly than others. But our advertising this year will leave a lasting legacy – and in that way, we hope it won’t just be for Christmas.”
“We did consider whether it was right to produce an ad this year at all. However, FareShare and Home-Start told us how much of a difference this campaign could make, both on a financial level and in raising awareness of the incredibly important work they do with families across the UK.”
Pippa Wicks, Executive Director of John Lewis, said: “We recently set out our ambition for our business to be a force for good – so we decided that this year was the year to break the mould and do something different.
“We have a long tradition of helping support the communities which we serve, so as we launch one of the best-loved assets, our Christmas ad, it’s fitting to take this one step further by working hand in hand with two incredible charities supporting families in need.
“We were humbled by the kindness shown by the British public during the pandemic. We want this campaign to be uplifting and to inspire everyone to give some kindness in their own way this Christmas, especially to those who need it most. The pandemic has proved that it’s our small acts of love and kindness, particularly in challenging times, that captures what it is to be human; and when one small act of kindness multiplies it can have a lasting impact
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