London-based electro trio Vaults have covered Randy Crawford’s One Day I’ll Fly Away for this year’s John Lewis Christmas ad. And they will no doubt be looking to replicate the sales boost that has met many previous acts that have partnered up with the retailer for their annual festive promo campaign.
In recent years, the John Lewis Christmas ad has become something of an event in itself, with anticipation building each year as to what the clip will look and, indeed, sound like.
For artists, it has become an increasingly lucrative opportunity. In 2010 it provided a breakthrough moment for Ellie Goulding, with her cover of Elton John’s Your Song achieving Platinum status and racking up sales of 919,084.
The following year didn’t prove quite as successful but still Slow Moving Millie’s cover of The Smiths’ Please, Please, Please, Le Me Get What I Want hit sales of 101,693.
In 2012, Gabrielle Aplin’s take on Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s Power Of Love went Gold on sales of 547,978, while Lily Allen’s cover of Keane’s hit Somewhere Only We Know went Platinum with sales of 683,858 in 2013.
The following Christmas saw Tom Odell take on The Beatles’ Real Love, hitting sales of 229,800, while last year’s campaign featured Aurora’s cover of Oasis’ Half The World Away, which reached sales of 175,973.
Time will tell whether or not Vaults can achieve the same kind of sales figures listed above, but what is clear is that the annual campaign poses a real breakthrough opportunity, especially at a time when brand partnerships are proving more crucial than ever in establishing new acts.
This year’s promo marks a change of pace for John Lewis, moving away from the traditionally tear-jerking nature of previous years for a lighter approach, with the clip centred around Buster, descried as a ‘comedy bouncing dog’.
