If there is ever a time of year which reminds you of the power of emotion in advertising, it is Christmas. Whilst the vast majority of brands flood our senses with rational, information based ads, there are those few who invest in creating something a little more spectacular.

This year I think John Lewis has surpassed themselves. Don’t get me wrong, previous years’ attempts have been fantastic including their ‘Shadows’ ad back in 2007 and 2009’s ‘Sweet Child of Mine’.

However, as a proud parent this year’s ad really hit the mark. For me, it is the perfect blend of story and music, evoking emotions that feed off a surprisingly simple yet powerful insight – for gifts you can’t wait to give.

As an IPA member agency, we continue to champion the power of emotion in advertising. Research from the IPA Datamine shows that emotional campaigns are nearly twice as effective as rational campaigns across a whole host of hard and soft business measures. This is a trend that is only likely to increase, as more creative campaigns generate significantly more ‘buzz’ effects which are strongly linked to effectiveness.

The John Lewis ad is proof of this theory, with viewings on Youtube reaching 500,000 in a matter of days, considerable discussion across the social network and even reporting in the national press with regards to the music choice. It also suggests that whilst traditionally it has been the appearance of the Coke ad on our screens that herald the arrival of Christmas, John Lewis are closing fast and next year they are likely to lead the anticipation.

So, before you decide to turn the TV off in the run up to Christmas to avoid the myriad sales promotions and offers, I recommend you hold out because there are some real gems out there which bring not only your emotions to life, but Christmas as well.

Blog by Tristan Morris

If you live outside the world of rugby league, you may not have noticed this brilliant piece of PR and viral marketing from the folks at Love Rugby League.

I ask you to put down your pens for a moment and even if you’re not a sport lover, watch this video… Love Rugby League’s 2011 Season Review…. in Lego.

Uploaded only on Monday (21st) the video has already received over 40,000 hits on You Tube, as well as numerous Tweets and Facebook messages.

Even better, the video also featured on Granada Reports and in The Sun among others, further raising the profile of Love Rugby League, not to mention the sport itself.

Such a simple idea that apparently took two pain-staking months to complete – and it’s proved to be a massive hit.

Can’t wait to see what next season brings!

Blog by Robyn Percy

Walking around my local town’s high street these days is a depressing place to be. As a youngster the same street was quite vibrant, there were no vacant outlets and it was a place you went to buy almost everything, a shopping haven. Nowadays the same street now consists of not much more than Cash Generator, Poundland and a McDonalds.

Since the advent of the internet, the only shopping people tend to do now is window shopping, they will make a note of the model code then ‘Google it’ when they get home for the best price, and also get it delivered straight to their door!

I hold my hands up, I shop in exactly the same way and it is extremely apparent to me that this culture will only continue in the future.

So how do retailers exist in this climate?

For retailers to flourish they need to offer something which isn’t available on the internet. Rather than product, which in just about every form these days, can be bought from the internet cheaper & easier, retailers need to be selling their invaluable knowledge and added benefits they offer.

If you are a retailer you will be aware that the products you sell can, and often will, be bought from the internet for a reduced price. But customers will still be willing to buy from you because of your expertise, product knowledge, design, fitting skills and confidence with your after-sales support.

Service is everything these days for retailers and as a retailer you should ask yourself the question that customers will be asking themselves “Why should I buy from you rather than the internet?”

Think from the customer’s point of view and play devil’s advocate. If you draw a blank with the answer to this question, then you should join the crowded market of internet retailing and compete on price-point only. If you do have value to add to the sale, that’s what you should be selling to your customers, let them know why buying online is not the best option.

Blog by Steve Rutter

As a designer, I am always looking at creative solutions for printing to add another dimension to the offline marketing we develop. During some recent research I stumbled upon a German company called Paperlux who have developed their own paper etching method.

Using this method, it is now possible to translate logos, images, and fonts into crisp, three-dimensional etchings on the finest papers without damaging the reverse side of the paper, something that is not only effective, but gets truly beautiful results.

It is a process which doesn’t use chemicals or solvents and is reliant on specialist papers and a laser/light technique and, in my opinion, it’s certainly one-up on commonly used embossing or laminating finishes.

Here are some examples – but I recommend having a look at the Paperlux website to see even more beautifully crafted work.

Blog by Howard Reeves

Just before the recent arrival of our 2nd daughter Summer Rose, my wife Claire and I received a slightly awkward call from Claire’s Grandmother, who asked if we would consider somehow shoehorning a ‘dying’ family name in to our new baby’s name. I won’t say what the name was, but suffice to say it wasn’t particularly feminine and couldn’t have been subtly hidden among our other preferred names.

At the time of her request, I said something along the lines of “Ask her what it’s worth?” I’d like to take this opportunity early on to say that we decided not to use the name and no money or gifts were offered or changed hands.

It did make me think though, what if I did put my baby’s name up for auction – would I get any takers? I read a story a while back about a lady in the US, who tried (and failed) ‘5’ times’ to sell the ‘naming rights’ of her unborn child on eBay. She wasn’t famous, so there was no particular reason why any brand or company would gain anything from ‘naming’ her child.

But what if she was a high-profile celebrity?

We are after all living in a time where it seems that nothing is out of bounds when it comes to ‘naming rights’ and ‘sponsorship’. With our current celebrity culture, I wonder if one day we’ll all hear about the exclusive ‘child naming rights’ deal that ‘X celebrity’ has signed with ‘X brand’. A potentially great deal for the right ‘celeb / brand’ relationship…well, unless that child grows up to become a serial killer.

I’m not actually sure that it will ever happen, not when people are including ‘brand’ names on birth certificates for free , ‘Mercedes’ and ‘Levi’ for example. Even more obscure names have been used, like ‘Google’ and ‘Facebook’.

As unique as those children’s name are, I think I’ll stick with the more normal ‘boring’ child names thanks. Having said that, if someone is reading this has enough dosh, I’m happy to talk. Whiskas Cillit Bang Dixon does have a nice ring to it.

Blog by Martin Dixon