John Lewis Christmas Ad has the X Factor

John Lewis will be celebrating a successful premiere weekend for its 2013 Christmas ad, as it pulled in 86,300 mentions on Twitter over the 9th and 10th of November, according to research by global social media agency, We Are Social. 

The figure represents a 29% increase in Twitter conversation from John Lewis’s 2012 Snowman advert, which had 66,800 mentions on its first weekend of 10th and 11th November. However, this figure was significantly lower than the 265% increase in premiere weekend conversations between the 2011 and 2012 adverts.

This weekend, Twitter mentions of the advert peaked during its X Factor airing, with 31,200 between 8pm and 9pm, and 4,700 between 8.17pm and 8:18pm. Top John Lewis related hashtags over the weekend were #bearandhare with 18,200 mentions, #johnlewis  with 4,200 mentions and #johnlewischristmasadvert2013 with 3,600 mentions. 

 

John Lewis also created a Twitter profile for each of the advert’s main characters to further generate social media buzz: https://twitter.com/JohnLewis_Hare, https://twitter.com/JohnLewis_Bear and https://twitter.com/JL_BearAndHare. ​

John Lewis’s focus on online tactics and social media has paid off. John Lewis gave fans a first look of the 2013 advert on YouTube, which at 3.8 million views to date, has already been watched more on the channel than the 2012 advert, suggesting online is increasingly becoming a mainstream channel for consumers. The store has also seen an increase in its social communities this weekend, with 7,000 new Twitter followers, 12,000 new Facebook fans and 4,600 new YouTube subscribers. 

The research found that 80% of the conversation was focused on “praise” of the ad, such as describing it as “cute” and “sweet”. 5% of people tweeting mentioned how the advert had brought them to tears. Only 1% of people expressed a negative reaction, with some stating they didn’t understand what the advert was trying to sell.

The conversation was from a predominantly female audience, with a 70% share.  

Ed Kitchingman, senior analyst at We Are Social said: “John Lewis should be delighted with the overwhelming response and positive reaction to its 2013 advert. Its reputation, savvy marketing and clever use of social media to create hype ahead of its official release has helped turn the airing of its Christmas advert into a national event.

“John Lewis’s success further highlights the benefits of a well thought through integrated campaign, where social plays an integral part. In the future, this should, and will become the norm for brands launching major above the line campaigns.”