John Lewis | Buster The Boxer | 2016
A Quiet Night of Longing Over a Trampoline / John Lewis "Buster The Boxer"
John Lewis's annual Christmas ad is a tradition by now. The star of 2016 is a dog named Buster. He wants, more than anything, the trampoline hidden in the garden—but it's actually a present for a little girl named Bridget. Night after night, wild animals sneak out to bounce on it, and Buster just watches. On Christmas morning, it's Buster who bolts outside before the girl even gets there.
The problem
The previous year's "Man on the Moon" took a tearjerker approach that split opinion. For 2016, John Lewis shifted toward humor. It was a rocky year, with Brexit and Trump's election, and the Christmas season is when John Lewis earns four-tenths of its annual profit—so there was a lot riding on it.
The insight
The client said they wanted to bring smiles and remind people of fun and magic. So instead of aiming for tears, they aimed for a grin. Director Dougal Wilson used careful pacing and timing to keep the sentimentality from becoming heavy-handed. Personally, I still have a soft spot for the more emotional 2015 ad, but I've come to appreciate that this one worked well in its own way.
The idea
The trampoline, meant as a gift for a girl who loves to jump, gets taken over every night by foxes, badgers, and other animals who just can't resist. Since there was no reference footage for a jumping badger, the animators built the CGI by hand, working out the relationship between muscle and gravity themselves. The music is Vaults' "One Day I'll Fly Away," recorded at Abbey Road with a full choir and orchestra.
What happened
The ad was trending on Twitter even before it officially launched, and went on to rack up 240 million views. It also won craft-focused awards from D&AD, Clio, and others. This campaign also marked the first time John Lewis expanded into digital extras like a Snapchat lens and a VR experience.
Afterthought
What impressed me wasn't just the film itself, but how the website was built as a kind of landing pad—using the story as a backdrop to sell merchandise. It's like a mini Disney playbook. As long as you nail the story, the possibilities are endless. Next time, I've decided I'm definitely going to sell something.
