Unit 30: Task 1 - Analysing an Advert

For my advertising assignment we, obviously, have to look at lots of Christmas adverts and in order to make my own advert in the style of John Lewis I have to analyse one of John Lewis' previous adverts.

I am analysing John Lewis' The Bear and The Hare advert from 2013.

This advert is very unique, and unlike the previous and future adverts by John Lewis as it is cartoon. The advert is a narrative that focusses on the friendship between a bear and a hare, as the bear goes into hibernation the hare buys him alarm clock as Christmas present, the alarm wakes him up in time for Christmas. I really appreciate how realistic the advert is, specifically the trees; the advert is stop motion, with the models being drawn as cartoons. The advert shows the season changing realistically with the colours being naturally vibrant during autumn before changing to a natural looking snow covered forest.

Like all John Lewis Christmas adverts a song is featured, in this advert Somewhere Only We Know by Lilly Allen (originally by Keane) this is the non-diegetic sound heard but the diegetic sound is heard only at the beginning and it is birds chirping. The advertising techniques used are the typical John Lewis techniques - using Heart strings which creates an emotional ambiance, and their end tag line: Give someone a Christmas they'll never forget.

There are a range of shots used in the advert, some that are standard but others that are different and eye catching. Wide shots are used at the beginning to show the unlikely friendship between the two animals as the bear carries the hare on his back. Throughout the entire advert close ups are used to display the emotion the characters are feeling. A short montage shows the passage of time during the bear's hibernation at the end of which we see the hare place the present. Movement is used in between scenes after watching a snowflake fall we move upwards for the next scene displaying the snow and preparation for Christmas; as well as the slow move upwards when the logo appears. A lovely long shot of the bear standing up reflects nicely on the long shot showing the decorated Christmas tree. A general view cutaway of the alarm clock is showed which explains nicely why the bear woke up.

The target audience for the advert is everyone, however John Lewis' audience are an older generation with a high amount of disposable income due to the price of products they stock. The advert appeals to everyone by making it relatable - the friendship between the 2 characters, although surprising, can be related to by people of any age as well as the idea of giving, which the main theme of Christmas. People of all ages will want to give those they care about, friends and family, a gift at Christmas; this then promotes people to go to John Lewis to find the perfect gift for their loved ones. The main audience of John Lewis will be the older generation who are middle class and live in cities, as this is where the stores are located, they will in categories A, B and possibly C1.

Overall, the advert was very successful, with John Lewis spending £7 million on the production and airtime, they sold merchandise in the form of soft toys and others, a proportion of the proceeds went to a charitable organisation. The advert did its job and increased the overall sales by 7% from the previous year, and during the week after its release the shops' takings were £101 million thereby proving that the advert did its job and advertised and increased the sales of the store.