The Not So Loveable Truth Behind #BusterTheBoxer John Lewis Christmas Ad 2016

All hail one of the most interesting Christmas marketing campaigns to come out of the UK in the past decade... Yes, you've guessed it, the John Lewis advert.

The advert has become a somewhat tradition in the UK and for many kick starts the official countdown to Christmas.

But this year's advert seems to have trumped the lot... Swaying away from the tear-jerking love story that we're all used to being bombarded with, this years ad offers a real sense of humour and light-heartedness with the protagonist being a loveable, ditzy Boxer dog called Buster.

The advert follows the story of a family and young girl getting ready for Christmas...

On Christmas eve evening, once the young girl has gone to bed, the father heads to their garden, outside in the cold to piece together the trampoline he's purchased as a present for his daughter.

Once built, the mother and father sit in the lounge watching TV as Buster stares longingly outside as some foxes, badgers and squirrels explore exactly what fun can be had on a trampoline. 

Morning comes and the little girl runs downstairs in excitement to see that she has been gifted with a giant garden trampoline... As the glass doors open, Buster bowls straight outside in front of the little girl and starts bouncing on the trampoline - He's in heaven! 

The tagline for this years advert is 'Gifts That Everyone Will Love' 

Clever? ...Very. 

With Monty the penguin stuffed toys selling out across the UK, this years ad has done one better....

Firstly, despite the beautiful animation and the loveable nature of Buster, this is ultimately a shameless plug to sell one of the biggest, most expensive children's products stored in the John Lewis warehouse... After all, trampolines are usually only purchased over a period of about 3 months each year are they not?!

Retailing at £289.99 for the pleasure of bouncing on Busters' trampoline, you can also purchase the cuddly toy and the soundtrack to go along with it. So depending on how demanding your children are, you could be looking at a John Lewis receipt for well over the £300.00 mark.

Secondly, the advert has been released one day after the American Presidential Election - An inevitable time of huge upheaval across the globe regardless of the outcome. Don't be fooled, the timing of this ad release is certainly not a coincidence.

Social Media has gone mad with timelines jam packed full of Trump memes and lip syncing videos of Hilary.... But with people feeling fed up of politics this ad has been released at the perfect time for a pick me up - An escapism as such. I mean, who could resist Busters glistening eyes and droopy tongue? 

But if you scratch away all that surface fluff, you will witness one of the most successful marketing campaigns in British history. 

...I mean really, who buys a trampoline in December?!