# Behind-the-Scenes In-Store Experiences This Year, People Can Step Into the John Lewis Holiday Ad By Laura McQuarrie | Published 2018-11-21 | Marketing Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/john-lewis-holiday References: [campaignlive](https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/john-lewis-creates-behind-the-scenes-experience-elton-john-christmas-ad/1499104) & [johnlewis](https://www.johnlewis.com/) The viral 2018 John Lewis holiday commercial from the UK department stars Elton John, who performs Your Song, as well as revisits moments from his career and childhood. As a companion piece to the advertisement, John Lewis created an in-store experience that lets shoppers go behind the scenes of the Elton John Christmas ad. The in-store experience includes pianos, a recording studio and even items for dressing up and truly immersing oneself in the scenes. Additionally, people are able to pick up merchandise from a [pop-up shop](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/not-a-sock-shop) selling items such as Elton John t-shirts and vinyl records. Although there is a ton of work that goes into the making of shiny [Christmas commercials](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/whoknewville), displays, events and products, consumers are rarely presented with a glimpse of behind the scenes, which makes this seasonal in-store experience a standout. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 4.1/10 - Popularity: 25% | Activity: 89% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Marketing](https://www.trendhunter.com/marketing) > [Interactive](https://www.trendhunter.com/interactive) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **In-store Experiences:** The trend of creating immersive in-store experiences allows businesses to offer a unique, memorable experience to customers. - **Pop-up Shops:** Pop-up shops allow companies to experiment with new products and concepts in a low-risk, temporary setting. - **Companion Pieces:** Creating companion pieces to advertising campaigns can extend the life of the campaign and provide additional touchpoints for customers. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Retail:** Retailers can utilize in-store experiences and pop-up shops to drive foot traffic and increase sales. - **Music Entertainment:** Music entertainment companies can create companion pieces like in-store experiences to monetize their content. - **Advertising:** Creating immersive experiences and companion pieces can help advertising agencies to offer more value to their clients, while extending the life of campaigns. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Heartfelt Christmas Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/gifting-hour.md) - [Festive Metaverse Shops](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/virtual-john-lewis.md) - [Gameshow-Style Pop-Ups](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/jo-malone-christmas-special.md) - [Retailer-Backed Holiday Experiences](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/j-crew-2.md) - [Festive Carnivorous Plant Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/snapper-the-perfect-tree.md) - [Charming Christmas Advertisements](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sainsburys-christmas-ad.md) - [Festive Football Pop-Up Shops](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/west-ham-united-and-john-lewis.md) - [Exaggerated Holiday Displays](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/wonder-all-the-way.md) - [Iconic Character-Inspired Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/etsys-christmas-ad.md)