Intermediate 
A lonely old man living on the moon is the unusual focus of John Lewiss 2015 Christmas advert.
There is increasing hype around John Lewiss seasonal ad, which has come to mark the beginning of the Christmas shopping season for many. The department store will aim to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for Age UK. It will also encourage staff and customers to join up with their local branch of the charity to care for elderly people who might be alone over the holiday.
The department store has spent 7m on a campaign that ranges from the TV ad to a smartphone game and merchandise, including glow-in-the-dark pyjamas, as well as making areas that look like the surface of the moon in 11 of their stores.
After two years of successful ads with cuddly animals  a bear and hare, then a penguin  this time, the store is tugging at the heartstrings with a story of a young girl, Lily, who spots an old man living in a shack on the moon through her telescope. The determined child tries sending him a letter and firing a note via bow and arrow, before floating him a present of a telescope tied to balloons, which finally allows them to make contact.
The ads message is: Show someone theyre loved this Christmas, which echoes Age UKs own campaign: No one should have no one at Christmas. Profits from three products  a mug, gift tag and card  will go to the charity.
Rachel Swift, head of marketing at John Lewis, said that people talk about the charity at this time of year and the ad makes you think about someone who lives on your street that might not see anybody.
The campaign features the Oasis track Half the World Away reinterpreted by Norwegian artist Aurora.
The ad cost 1m to make. The moon scenes were shot at the Warner Bros Studios, where the Harry Potter films were made, and the specially built set was created by one of the team behind the latest Star Wars film, The Force Awakens.
As in the last few years, John Lewis has drummed up interest in their most recent ad with a teaser campaign on TV and social media using the hashtag #OnTheMoon. A full moon will fall on Christmas Day 2015  a complete coincidence, according to Swift.
In 2014, the retailer also spent 7m on a campaign with a realistic animated penguin and a young boy playing together to the tune of John Lennons Real Love, sung by British singer-songwriter Tom Odell. It had drummed up 22m views on YouTube by the first week of January  more than the 16.6m views of Sainsburys ad with First World War soldiers sharing a bar of chocolate, the UKs second most popular ad of 2014.
Swift said that, despite the hype, John Lewis had kept the same strategy for the last five years. Its all about thoughtful gifting and going the extra mile for someone you love at Christmas, she said. We dont go into it thinking, This is going to be huge, just getting something right for the brand at this time of year and something we hope customers really love.
Sarah Vizard, news editor of trade journal Marketing Week, said John Lewis appeared to have simplified efforts this time, with a lower-key presence in stores despite a growing number of competitors. There are definitely a lot more brands doing Christmas ads this year but I think a lot of those brands who tried to compete with John Lewis by doing something emotional and creative have gone back to what you can buy in store, she said. John Lewis still does the emotional piece the best. This campaign is another great way of communicating that in a way that customers can relate to. I think people will think it is really cute.