Every year companies spend thousands of pounds on their Christmas advertisement campaigns, and this year is no different. It is estimated that a record of £6 billion will be spent in total on creating festive adverts.
In Aldi’s Christmas campaign you are introduced to Kevin and Katie, a couple of carrots, and in M&S’s to Paddington bear, who mistakes a thief for Santa Claus. During the John Lewis advert, reportedly made at a cost of £7 million, you meet Moz “the monster under the bed” and enjoy the touching two minute tale of his friendship with a young boy named Joe. Did you ever wonder if these adverts work? Last year, Aldi’s sales were increased by 15%, and it is believed its advertising campaign is the main cause, and John Lewis’s ad was viewed online 26 million times.
This year, however, John Lewis have been accused of copying award-wining illustrator Chris Riddell’s very first picture book, Mr Underbed. However, John Lewis argue that “monsters under the bed disturbing children from sleep” is a well known theme, so therefore it was not specifically copied from his best selling novel. This incident is not the first time they have been have been accused of copyright infringement: Monty the penguin was also similar to the main character in ‘lost and found’ by Oliver Jeffers.