adam&eveDDB create ‘The Bear & The Hare’ animated tale for John Lewis’ most integrated Christmas campaign ever

 

‘The Bear & The Hare’ tells a classic story of friendship at Christmas – building on the longstanding John Lewis theme of finding the perfect t for those you care about, adam&eveDDB explained in a press release. It features the strapline ‘Give someone a Christmas they’ll never forget’.

 

 

The beautifully handcrafted ad was written by Aidan McClure & Laurent Simon, Creative Directors at adam&eveDDB and directed by Blinkink’s Elliot Dear and Yves Geleyn. 

 

"The idea came about from a conversation between Laurent and I. We were talking about what would it feel like to see Christmas for the very very first time. What would your reactions be?" McClure said in the behind the scenes video.

 

"The two main characters are the bear and the hare, and they’re best friends, and every year the same scenario happens, the bear misses Christmas. And this year, the hare wants to do something about it. And you see this series of events that sort of leads to the bear waking up and enjoying Christmas for the very first time. And it’s the hare giving his best friend the t of Christmas," Simon shared.

 

The ad was created using hand-drawn animation combined with 3D sets – the first time this technique has been used in an advert in the UK.

 

Continuing the brand’s support of home-grown music talent, the ad is set to a cover of Keane’s 2004 hit ‘Somewhere Only We Know’ sung by Lily Allen.

 

Following a series of teasers on ITV that use the #sleeping bear, the ad broke on November 9 in a special two-minute spot during the X Factor. It will be the first ad to take up the whole of a break on ITV.

 

The campaign is John Lewis’s most integrated yet with the TV ad supported by a host of multi- channel activity including a book, Christmas card maker, social media, in-store and windows, a digital outdoor projection and soundtrack single.

 

James Murphy, Founding Partner & Chief Executive, adam&eveDDB, said, "It’s a privilege to create the advertising for the nation’s best loved department store at Christmas and this year is no exception. Not only have we been able to push the campaign into new territory creatively, we’ve also been able to deliver a truly multi faceted campaign that offers an in-depth take on thoughtful ting that we hope will appeal to the child in all of us."