The Bear & The Hare: Creative Magic + Shrewd Marketing

Since 2011, UK retailer John Lewis has been taking a different approach to the season of giving with ambitious advertising campaigns targeted not at promoting specific products but rather at selling an emotion, a feeling. As Craig Inglis, the company’s marketing director states, “This is really about telling a story and making that emotional connection. It’s not all about glitz and glamour…”. A lovely sentiment to be sure but also likely a shrewd marketing tactic that may be taking its cues from research Simon Sinek discussed in his recent TED talk – where he cites “feelings” as the single driver of all human decision making and behavior.

If the heart is John Lewis’ target, it appears the retailer is hitting its mark, with the public abuzz about its £7m multimedia Christmas campaign centered around a 2 minute heart melter / tear jerker of a movie about a Hare’s gift of Christmas to his best friend Bear.

Directed by Blinkink/Hornet, in collaboration with advertising agency adam&eveDDB, ‘The Bear & The Hare’ is a combination of old-school hand animation techniques (ala the Lion King and Pocahontas) and a painstakingly detailed 3D physical set which was filmed stop motion style to create one magical movie/ad. Enjoy the behind the scenes “Making Of” video below. To learn more about the project, see the final movie/ad, and view interviews with the creators behind it all, click through here.

And with this, I bid you adieu until the end of December, when DPAGES will return to provide you with your monthly Favorites and Flashback fix. In the interim, I’ll be revamping/upgrading D Shop and preparing it for a number of exciting new additions in early 2014. Stop by, have a peek, do a little shopping and have a fantastic holiday!