When did the release of a television advert become a national news story? When John Lewis started creating mini-blockbusters. Two minutes is all the retailer needs to tell a story that plucks the heart strings of the nation. The first comment I saw on the John Lewis YouTube video: "Someone tell me why I'm crying over a dragon".
That sort of emotional connection is gold for any company - including news outlets that know sharing the video on their websites will generate tons of traffic.
You'd be hard pressed to find a national news outlet that hasn't run a story on the 2019 Christmas ad, which features a small dragon helping a town prepare for the festivities, only to ruin things with fire. There is, of course, a happy ending but I wont spoil things if you haven't seen it.
The ad isn't even due to air on television until Saturday, 16th November, during what is no doubt one of the most expensive television slots going at the moment - during ITV's The X Factor: Celebrity. The spend on advertising will no doubt be eclipsed by the PR return, however, as everyone with an audience clamours to share news of the ad.
So without further ado (or an apparent sense of irony):