The John Lewis Christmas campaign always makes the headlines,

but this year they needed something that would continue to engage customers throughout December, in the run-up to Christmas. Partnering with AgeUK, the John

Lewis TV ad tells the sweet story of a connection between a little girl, Lily, and a Man who lives on the Moon – Lily watches as he goes about his chores, all alone up there. She becomes determined to get a gift to the moon, to show him that someone down here

is thinking of him. This was the first year when the digital campaign influenced the media planning, and brand collateral for the campaign.

The audience is broad. Aimed at fans of the UK retail brand as well as curious customers, who engage predominantly on mobile, wanting to delve deeper into the John

Lewis Christmas experience. The App reimagines the TV ad into a beautifully animated world

The app includes a educational Augmented Reality experience as well as an addictive Game.

Over 120 hand drawn objects were individually animated to create 20 levels of gameplay, and animated facts for the AR.

By pointing your phone at the Man on the Moon image on John Lewis packaging and shopping bags (or by holding the device up towards the moon itself), users can unlock a 3D interactive moon that releases daily educational facts in the countdown to Christmas Day’s full moon. By unlocking new daily content, users got more playable objects in the game.

?The game reinforces the story of the TVC, in which users avoid obstacles, and collect power ups in a bid to reach the Man on the Moon with a gift. Users were rewarded each time they climbed higher. Hidden secrets that could only be found in John Lewis department stores encourage users to go back.

The Man on the Moon app trended across social channels

immediately after launch, climbing to 5 in the App store charts as well as being featured in most popular new apps. With 300K downloads, with users dwell time of 4+ minutes, the app became an augmented extension of the TV campaign, reaching an audience of

its own, bringing the moon to life for the next generation throughout the Christmas period.