Blog

Monty the Penguin

7th November 2014 by Grace Bullingham

Just as the evening darkness has crept in and there’s finally a nip in the air, the new John Lewis campaign has been released – it has started to feel like the countdown to the festive season has finally begun.

Adam & Eve/DDB created the campaign which uses CGI to bring a penguin to life. It tells the story of a boy, Sam, who can’t wait for Christmas so he can present his penguin friend, Monty, with a companion he has longed for.

Personally I have always been a fan of the John Lewis Christmas adverts. No matter what the story, a tear has always been bought to my eye. When I got to work on Wednesday I realised this year’s ad had been released and I just had to watch it – to be honest I couldn’t wait to watch it! My desk buddy hadn’t arrived so it was just me, this meant I completely got away with sobbing into my coffee to a CGI penguin looking for love.

The twist at the end really got me; it’s Christmas day, Sam wakes up and runs downstairs with ‘real-life’ Monty, he opens the living room door and waiting for Monty is Mabel, a female penguin; a soul mate he had been dreaming of. Sam’s mother looks on to find him delightfully playing with his well-worn cuddly toy and new companion…. Monty was a stuffed toy all along. The advert closes on the tagline; "Give someone the Christmas they've been dreaming of."

John Lewis adverts have become a Christmas event in their own right. Just going onto the website now, the campaign is on the homepage and if you click on ‘Monty’s Christmas’, you will be navigated to a page covered with interactive Monty features. You can view Sam and Monty’s 360 degree world; buy the storybook; download the interactive eBook; and adopt a penguin.

It doesn’t stop there, John Lewis stores have installed ‘Monty’s Den’ where you can go and have a picture taken with him and find out more about his Antarctic friends; and of course there is an entire Monty range available to purchase, such as a Monty or Mabel stuffed toy, like Sam’s in the advert. John Lewis has made it very easy for us to join them in their Christmas ‘experience’.

What’s good to know is John Lewis will donate 89p to WWF for every Tom Odell single sold.