New John Lewis Advert

Check out this emotional but amazing video advert for UK department store, John Lewis – it’s videographic genius.

A woman picks up a baby and when she puts it down…wow – t’s a toddler! The toddler climbs through the tunnel and surprise! She’s at school! Then suddenly it’s her sixth birthday and she’s blowing out candles in party dresses … on her 18th birthday cake…I think you get the picture now.

The advert is based on the lyrics of Billy Joel’s ‘She’s Always A Woman To Me’. As he sings, “She hides like a child, but she’s always a woman to me,” we see the girl as an adult for the first time. For “She is frequently kind and she’s suddenly cruel…” we see her at her laptop shouting at her family to shut up; she’s trying to work. “She can’t be convicted, she’s earned her degree…” she cheekily steals the cherry on top of her granddaughter’s cupcake. She’s not perfect, this woman. She’s real.

It’s amazing how real and believable the video is in showing someone aging 70 years in such a short space of time – the casting for it must have taken ages.

This ad fools you into thinking you’re watching one woman’s life, whilst realising that all these women exist simultaneously right now. Congratulations, John Lewis, £6m well spent. I’ve watched it so many times and have had a tear in my eye every time. My lord, M & S must be so mad right now!