The founder of the John Lewis Department Store holds the idea, ‘No one should be left alone on Christmas Day’ close to his heart. As a child, John Lewis’ parents abandoned him and left him in an orphanage. In the commercial, “Man on the Moon”, John Lewis portrays himself as an adult orphan stuck alone on the moon. His personal connection to abandonment drives the message of the commercial. Christmas day is intended to be a day shared with loved ones. “Show someone they’re loved this Christmas” are the words displayed at the very end of the commercial.
The commercial attempts to make the viewers think about the people that will be spending Christmas by themselves this year. The quote at the end of the commercial clearly gets the point across without leaving people confused. The writer of the commercial used these words to influence the audience in several different ways. John Lewis Department Store chose “Man on the Moon” to highlight the issue of loneliness throughout the holiday season by gearing the ad toward a specific audience, using ethos, pathos, and logos, and emphasizing small details. The company that created this commercial is The John Lewis Department Store.
Although some commercials may have a general audience, the intended audience of this commercial are patrons of this department store. The company also tries to reach out to new shoppers. They are advertising to bring in shoppers who will buy gifts at the store for Christmas, specifically people in which shoppers may have overlooked or not normally purchased for on these holidays. As stated at the end of the video, nobody should spend this Christmas season by themselves. They show this by presenting John Lewis as an old man left alone on the moon for Christmas.
A young girl named Lily sees the man on the moon and sends a special gift to him. She sends the old man a telescope. By giving him this gift, she made it possible for him to see her on Christmas day. Therefore he had someone with him on Christmas Day. John Lewis wants people to feel connected and a part of something during the holidays. In the commercial, they want shoppers to buy gifts for their families and friends at John Lewis Department Store. The John Lewis Department Store used appeals, ethos, and pathos to grab the viewer’s attention.
The creator of this commercial attempts to make the audience feel sympathy for the old man. The ethos in this commercial is John Lewis. The creator of this commercial left out the background story of John Lewis’ life. If the audience knew more about how Lewis was an orphan child growing up, it would be more emotional and interesting to watch. John Lewis plays a huge role in the commercial. This would also play a part in pathos. If you were not aware that John Lewis was put in an orphanage, the viewer would still feel some kind of sympathy for the old man on the moon, considering he is alone.
At the end, the audience would feel good about how the young girl treated the old man. The emotion in the video and background story to John Lewis’ life make the video more appealing to the audience. The video shows a sense of loneliness but also a sense of charity that suits the Christmas season. The perspective and outlook on the video are changed due to the story being portrayed through the eyes of a child. “Man on the Moon” was a hit, the director clearly used appeals to interest the audience. Lily, the main character tries throughout the commercial to make a connection with the old man.
Half the World Away, a song played throughout the video helps make this connection. The name of this song is ironic considering the man is on the moon. The tempo of the song changes due to the change in emotion. “Half the World Around” helps emphasize the emotion felt throughout the video. When the old man receives his gift from Lily, he uses his telescope to search for Lily on Earth. When he locks eyes with her, he tears up. This small detail shows the connection made between the man and the girl. These are not tears of sadness, but happiness.
The right gift can make a person’s day better. The man and Lily show a lot of antithesis throughout the advertisement. Lily tries during the whole video to get the man’s attention and make some kind of connection with him. The man looks away and continues to look at the ground. When he does this, it shows the sadness he feels while spending the holidays alone. When Lily tries to make a connection to the old man, she waves her arms in excitement to get his attention. Small details like these add to the story. These details make the commercial more interesting to watch
The John Lewis Department Store’s purpose is obvious, they are trying to get people into their store and make a purchase. They are doing this by trying to persuade Christmas shoppers to buy gifts for people at this department store. Man on the Moon was posted on Youtube by John Lewis, November 5th, 2015, around the holiday season. The commercial was purposely aimed close to the holidays. During the holidays The John Lewis Department Store will gain profit because during this season people are trying to find gifts for loved ones. The video shows how just the right gift can make a person feel better.
Such a small act of kindness can go a long way. The John Lewis Department Store wants shoppers to go the extra mile to buy the perfect gift for a special someone this season. This commercial not only promotes shoppers to buy from this store, but it is also a campaign. The John Lewis started this campaign with Age UK, a charity dedicated to helping everyone make the most of their later life, to bring awareness to senior citizens who may be alone during the holiday season. They are not selling a specific product, they are advertising their store as a whole.
The John Lewis Department Store added small details into their video that transformed the commercial into a story that was interesting to watch. Details like the teardrop Lewis shed from his eye, to the background music, all of these things added to the story. In this two minute video, a young girl sends a gift to an old man who is alone on the moon. This makes the old man’s day; he cries tears of joy when he receives the gift. The gift was special, but the connection it had to someone made it that much more powerful. What better way to connect with the hearts of buyers, but by connecting with their emotions.
