That John Lewis ad – magnifico?

It's very unlikely that any of this lot just killed a man...

Do not adjust your set. It is NOT Christmas yet.

It’s easy to see why you might be confused, though. It seems to have become an eagerly anticipated signifier that it’s OK to start the festivities when the John Lewis advert arrives.

So when one suddenly appeared on Tuesday during that other institution, The Great British Bake Off, it’s easy to see why some of us might have had a sudden hankering for eggnog and mince pies.

Although the lengthy spot, featuring children performing Bohemian Rhapsody as the centrepiece of the world’s most elaborate school play, had no branding until the very end, it was pretty obviously from the same people who give us the heartstring-tugging Xmas epics.

But this one had a twist. At the end were not one, but two logos. Different, new, logos. For John Lewis & Partners and Waitrose & Partners.

Brace yourselves, everyone – it’s a rebrand! As both are employee owned, the inclusion of ‘& Partners’ is aiming to make them stand out, and the ad uses phrases such as “for us it’s personal” and “when you’re part of it, you put your heart into it” to emphasise the extra care and quality of service this means they provide.

Apparently, the new logos work better online and for fashion branding too, apart from being “modern” and “progressive”. Interesting, as I’ve already seem them described as looking like the print you get on deckchairs, or the logo for a particularly bland solicitors.

Of course, one drawback will be that we’ll all carry on calling the stores what we’ve always called them – “John Lewis”, and “I went in a Waitrose when I went South once – they’re a bit like Booths, aren’t they?”

Is this a clever move then? Will customers, current or potential, actually care? Someone seems to think so – a rebrand on this scale is an expensive thing to do. With the likes of House of Fraser and Homebase struggling or being taken over, it’s tough times for bricks and mortar stores.

That John Lewis are apparently axing 270 of the very Partners they’re bigging-up (according to The Guardian), doesn’t exactly look like a promising start to their new look and selling-point.

Anyway, enjoy the advert – there are variations on the way, apparently – and join me in wishing it was the full nearly-six-minute version of the original Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, including all the lyrics and instrumentation.

Happy Christmas... Dammit!

This post first appeared as my "A wry look at the week" column, In The Mail, on Friday the 7th of September 2018. They re-titled it as "John Lewis ad... but not that one" and used my title at the first line. Yeah, I know.

Once again, the column also appeared on their website, with the alarmingly high-contract version of my picture that makes me look at least as old as time itself.

I genuinely do like the ad, and being a Marketing Knob, I get the whole re-brand thing. I'm even cool enough to have seen the ad first thing in the morning, too. Go me.

I've always liked JL, ever since visiting the magical Heelas store in Reading as a kid. So many things! Shiny! Hi-fi section! Happy days...

(CD A-Z: A Christmas mash-ups compilation, compiled by dj BC, called "Santastic II". That's how I roll. Deal with it.)

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