// 2018’s The Boy & The Piano named the UK’s favourite John Lewis Christmas advert, according to marketing agency AGY47
// The hype around John Lewis’ Christmas adverts have become an annual tradition that goes beyond retail
// The Boy & The Piano, which stars Elton John, beat other favourites such as Monty The Penguin and Buster the Boxer
The Boy & The Piano has been named the UK’s favourite John Lewis Christmas advert, as the nation waits patiently for newest instalment from the department store retailer.
The Boy & The Piano, which was John Lewis’ Christmas advert last year, was rocketed to the top of rankings that were compiled by digital marketing agency AGY47.
The firm found that in under 12 months since it was released, the video has racked up 13,904,953 views on YouTube and on its launch, the advert achieved a search interest score of 79/100.
READ MORE: Watch all of the Christmas adverts of 2019 – so far
Taking second place was 2016’s Buster the Boxer, which actually achieved a higher search interest score, according to AGY47.
At 100/100, the advert was the most highly-anticipated in the history of John Lewis’ Christmas adverts – but its overall YouTube views of 1,148,375 views was significantly lower than The Boy & The Piano.
Joint third place went to firm favourites Monty the Penguin and The Bear and the Hare.
The soundtrack to The Boy & The Piano ad was Elton John’s Your Song, a track that was covered by Ellie Goulding for John Lewis’ 2010 Christmas advert A Tribute To Givers.
Looking at YouTube views of the song alone, Ellie Goulding’s cover dwarfs that of the original, achieving 68,270,811 views compared to the 15,269,906 views of Elton John’s original.
This means that The Boy & The Piano may be the favourite, it seems Brits preferred Ellie Goulding’s rendition of the soundtrack.
AGY47 said that search interest around John Lewis Christmas adverts has steadily grown over the years, as an increasing number of consumers associate their annual launch with the start of the festive season.
The marketing firm found that this year, Brits started searching for the adverts in September, two months ahead of its annual release date.
“The run-up to Christmas is an incredibly competitive time for brands, as they try to attract consumer attention and spend,” AGY47 senior digital PR and content manager Bethanie Dennis said.
“The John Lewis Christmas ad is a fantastic tactic for this – it’s association with Christmas is so strong, that the brand is immediately at the forefront of shoppers minds ahead of the festive season.
“With the 2019 advert slated for release in the coming weeks, we can only wait and see whether it’s heart-warming enough to get people talking about the brand and knock The Boy & The Piano off the top spot.”
AGY47’s Ranking Of The John Lewis Christmas Adverts:
1. The Boy & The Piano (2018)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNbSgMEZ_Tw
2. Buster The Boxer (2016)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qo27xcVS5I&feature=emb_title
3. Monty The Penguin (2014)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSxOjBIjyhI&feature=emb_title
3. The Bear & The Hare (2013)
4. Moz The Monster (2017)
4. The Man on The Moon (2015)
5. The Long Wait (2011)
6. The Journey (2012)
7. A Tribute to Givers (2010)
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