The John Lewis Christmas Phenomenon

John Lewis, a chain of high-end department stores in the United Kingdom has a knack for delivering holiday ads that can pull at the heartstrings. Their Monty the Penguin spot from 2014 was an award-winning success. Now they’re back with Moz the Monster, a cute holiday ad that features a little boy named Joe, who befriends a Monster under his bed.

The new Monster-themed ad definitely has a warm and fuzzy feeling (pun intended). But John Lewis didn’t stop there. They also created a storytime video, plush toy and accompanying website, where visitors can make their own Monster and continue the story of Moz the Monster.

That brings us back to the John Lewis Christmas phenomenon. The release of their holiday ads have become an event that continues to not only dominate the world of advertising, but also creates a level of hysteria in their customer base. In a world where retail has been suffering for quite some time, that can only be a good thing.