John Lewis isn’t being shy about who its target audience is with this year’s Christmas ad.
Arise Gen-Xers, this one’s for us!
And if you’re a male Gen-Xer with a teenage son, even more so.
The ad features a Dad, about 50, who finds a vinyl record for him under the Christmas tree. It’s from his teenage son, who’s hovering on the stairs – Dad plays the record and it’s early 90’s club classic “Where Love Lives” by Alison Limerick. He immediately gets lost in his memories: he’s back on the dancefloor, clubbing with his mates again. And there’s his son, on the dancefloor with him. That’s weird. No, wait, he’s a baby in his arms. Now a toddler. Now we’re back in the house, he’s the teenager again, sheepishly coming back in the lounge…. and the two embrace, then dance together.
No words needed, the message is clear: music, or a good gift, is the ultimate way to reach someone (the mum and sister are busy sorting out the dining table in the background: I hope we don’t get an ad about them bonding over some Emma Bridgewater next week).
It’s a very good marketing message from the retailer, nicely executed, with a classic club anthem that will appeal to lots of people in a certain demographic. Demographics are key in PR and marketing and John Lewis is showing us all why knowing your audience is so important. I know three middle-aged men who have admitted that the ad reduced them to tears this morning.
It’s the first question I ask potential clients when we start to plan their PR strategy. Who is your audience? If you haven’t identified them, then you can’t hope to target them effectively. It might mean succumbing to a few stereotypes: it will certainly mean a lot of research, because when you speak to people about the things that matter to them, you can ensure your own messaging becomes so much more relevant.
By understanding the audience, you can identify the media and channels through which you can reach them. You can shape the message and tone of your output to suit them best.
By targeting your audience correctly, you’re more likely to build up a relationship with them and encourage loyalty and repeat purchase. You can start to create customer profiles and develop a truly bespoke strategy. You can engage with people directly and track the success more easily than you could with a broad-brush approach.
Perhaps John Lewis has done some research and is starting to see more middle-aged men shopping – or maybe the retailer WANTS to get more middle-aged men shopping with them. Perhaps it’s a response to Netflix’s Adolescence, tapping into the current hot topic of fragile masculinity and father and son dynamics. Perhaps it’s just riding on the current nostalgia wave we seem to be having for the nineties, and hoping a whole host of older folk will spend money before Rachel Reeves hits them with more taxes.
Woman and Home has called it, “The first John Lewis ad made for our generation.” The Independent goes a step further, asking, “Is this the solution to the male loneliness crisis”? My husband called it, “The best ad ever made”. Blimey.
John Lewis Christmas ads always get people in marketing talking. But this year it’s got middle aged men talking.
And then shopping?
Brilliant. Bravo, John Lewis. I’m off to dig out my mixtapes.
