Christmas adverts: Vision Direct adds a pug to the John Lewis formula

Vision Direct do add a wicked twist to their version

Christmas adverts have become big business.

John Lewis spends the best part of a year creating its annual tear-jerker. The 'Man On The Moon' was more successful than ever, attracting 42,000 tweets in just four hours.

It's no wonder other brands want to steal some of the John Lewis magic. But when the same advertising formula is being used to sell contact lenses, we might have reached peak Christmas ad.

This year's Vision Direct advert, featuring a little boy and his short-sighted pet pug, borrows the main ingredients from John Lewis's adverts, as identified by Inese Smidre, brand strategist at Added Value.

1. Someone cute: John Lewis used a little girl this year, a little boy last year and a rabbit before that. Vision Direct have gone for a little boy.

2. Realises that someone else is lonely: John Lewis have the Man on the Moon this year, Monty the Penguin and the bear, while Vision Direct have a pug that can't take part in Christmas because he can't see properly.

3. The cute person give the lonely person a present to make them feel loved. What more could a pug need than a pair of contact lenses?

Vision Direct do add a wicked twist to their version when the music is cut and the little pug disappears on the ice.

Sam Orams is the founding partner and head of creative at Bespoke, which created the Vision Direct advert.

“For a creative agency it reminds us of why we work in the industry. It’s a chance to really stretch our storytelling muscles and to indulge in those warm feelings of nostalgia that most of us associate with Christmas," Orams said.

The message was also chosen carefully to align with Vision Direct's business of getting contact lenses delivered quickly.

“Contact lenses delivered in time for Christmas” was chosen as the ad’s tagline, to showcase the company’s superfast, next day delivery to UK addresses," said Ashley Mealor, chief marketing officer at Vision Direct.