Advertising has a new pint-size star this morning, as London agency adam&eveDDB has rolled out an excellent new commercial for John Lewis' home insurance unit featuring an amusingly passionate little ballerina who careens around her home, putting all her family's possessions in jeopardy.
The little girl is fantastic, throwing herself into the role with abandon, with perfectly serious facial expressions and comically reckless ballet moves. But she's not the only all-star presence. The spot is set to Elton John's "Tiny Dancer," which is clearly perfect for this, and was directed by Blink's Dougal Wilson, one of the great talents on the British ad scene, whose credits include Wieden + Kennedy's stunning Lurpak work as well as adam&eve's "Monty the Penguin" spot for John Lewis.
Wilson gives this new spot a real '70s, lived-in vibe, which makes it feel somehow timeless, even though it's tongue-in-cheek. The details and pacing are great (the spinning glass is a great ending), as are comic touches like the fourth-wall-breaking brother on the stairs.
The tagline is, "If it matters to you, it matters to us."
"The advert is heartwarming and features an iconic song, but most importantly it reminds viewers that John Lewis Home Insurance can offer peace of mind, allowing them to enjoy family life," says Margaret Burke, head of marketing for financial services at John Lewis. "Knowing that they have protection in place, they can simply let life happen. Our campaign encapsulates this perfectly."
"Every little girl has been that little girl, and every little boy has done something similar," adds Rick Brim, executive creative director at adam&eveDDB. "You would be hard pushed to find someone who can't relate to this scene."
The 90-second spot will hit TV in the U.K. on Saturday and also run in cinemas. Check out the behind-the-scenes video below.
CREDITS
Client: John Lewis Home Insurance
Client: Margaret Burke, Head of Marketing, Financial Services at John Lewis
Project: "Tiny Dancer"
Agency: adam&eveDDB, London
Chief Creative Officer: Ben Priest
Executive Creative Director: Richard Brim
Copywriter: Jo Cresswell
Art Director: Sian Coole
Planner: Tom Sussman
Media Agency: Manning Gottlieb OMD
Media Planner: James Parnum
Production Company: Blink
Director: Dougal Wilson
Editor: Joe Guest @ Final Cut
Postproduction: MPC
VFX Supervisor: Tom Harding
Executive Producer: Julie Evans
Postproducer: Hannah Ruddleston
Colorist: Jean Clement-Soret
Soundtrack Name and Composer: "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John
Audio Postproduction: Anthony Moore @ Factory
