john lewis
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British retailers are using Shazam to hijack rivals' Christmas ads (update)
With just over a month until Christmas, brands are firing up their festive marketing campaigns to extract as much money as they can out of consumers. It looked as if John Lewis had the 2014 ad title all sewn up when Monty the penguin first waddled onto our TV screens, but responses, from Sainsbury's in particular, have made it far from a forgone conclusion. In times gone by, John Lewis would just take out newspaper ads or takeover a billboard to keep its campaign at the forefront of the public's mind, but this year it's utilising a clever, mobile first, strategy.
John Lewis brings Monty the penguin to life with help from Microsoft and Google
Every year, high street retailer John Lewis taps into the hearts of millions of Brits with a new Christmas ad. This year is no different, after it unveiled a new £7 million marketing campaign, Monty's Christmas, which centres on a little boy called Sam who wants to give his little penguin mate Monty the gift he has been dreaming of -- a new penguin companion called Mabel. John Lewis' festive campaigns tend to drive up its profits, and this year will likely be the same. However, to ensure this remains the case, the company is betting on technology to get mums and dads spending, with a little help from their children.
Daily iPad App: John Lewis' Bear & Hare is for the child in all of us
Today's Daily iPad App is Bear & Hare, an interactive children's book based on the Christmas advert of the same name, which is one of the UK's most celebrated holiday ads. The £1 million ad for UK retailer John Lewis is a two-minute short film that combines traditional hand-drawn animation (by Lion King alums, no less) with computer graphics and tells the story of a bear who usually hibernates through Christmas and his friend, a rabbit. I don't want to ruin the plot, but be prepared to shed a few tears when you see it. To go along with the Bear & Hare ad campaign, John Lewis has released the companion app, which explores the store in hand-illustrated book form and also allows children to interact with the forest animals in the story. It also offers interactive games such as The Woodland Orchestra and Decorate the Christmas tree. John Lewis will continue to update the app with new games in the weeks leading to Christmas. If your children have seen the Bear & Hare ad, download this app. Trust me; it will make their day. It also is a great story to read to children as you are tucking them into bed as the winter approaches. The Bear & Hare is a free download, but it is only available in the UK App Store. There is also a separate iPhone version of the app too.
Sky's Now TV box hits UK retailers with bundled streaming passes
Sky's super-cheap Now TV streamer is losing its online exclusivity and is heading to the UK High Street. From today, the set-top box is available at Argos, Curry's and PC World, with John Lewis set to follow in the coming weeks. Sky is also expanding how customers enjoy its content with new bundled content passes, offering extended access to movies or sports right out of the box. In that respect, £15 nets you a Now TV box with a 24-hour Sky Sports Day Pass or you can opt for a bundled 3 month Sky Movies Pass for £25 -- a saving of between £5 and £10. The expansion helps Sky grab a retail presence and lure customers away from rival services like Netflix and Lovefilm, which can't lean on a multi-million investment in Roku to push their own-branded set-top box.
Microsoft's Surface RT to be available at UK retailer John Lewis as early as tomorrow
After announcing it would start selling its Surface RT at third-party retailers in the US and Australia, we figured it was only a matter of time before Microsoft would extend this offer over to the UK (among other places, of course). Well, according to Pocket-lint, retailer John Lewis has confirmed to the site that it will indeed commence stocking both its virtual and physical shelves with Microsoft's 10.1-inch tablet, with the 32GB plus Black Touch Keyboard bundle set to be priced at £479, or £559 for the more spacious 64GB model. John Lewis says the Surface RT will be up for grabs tomorrow, December 14th, on its website, while brick-and-mortar stores should have them in stock starting this weekend.
PSA: Nook Simple Touch and Simple Touch with Glowlight now on sale in the UK
Barnes & Noble's arrival in the UK has been so well-telegraphed, you might be surprised to learn that today's the day the units actually launch. You'll be able to pick up a Nook Simple Touch or awkwardly-titled Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight from retailers such as John Lewis, Sainsbury's and on the company's new Nook.co.uk site. Access to Barnes & Noble's 2.5 million title e-book library will set you back £79 for the base model and £109 for the glow-in-the-dark version.
Samsung announces 75-inch ES9000 smart TV for Korea, with similarly gigantic price tag (eyes-on)
Anyone looking to fill half of their lounge with Samsung LCD just got a new size to choose. The 75-inch ES9000 is the bigger brother of the ES8000 that we saw earlier this year and ahead of the official launch in Korea, we managed to get an early eyes-on at a Samsung event held yesterday in London. In short, if you loved the LED-backlit display of the 55-inch model, you're going to adore the ES9000, which features the same smart TV brains alongside a retractable webcam unit housed on the top edge. The picture was pleasingly rich and sharp -- presumably due to the aforementioned backlighting and the ES series' edge-to-edge design. The bezel is a mere 7.9mm and Samsung has decided to coat the frame in a gentle Rose Gold coating which, due to the TV's slightly shady location, was a little trickier to pick out. That premium finish is matched by a premium price tag, however, and will hit checkbooks for 19.8 million won (around $17,450). Despite the UK appearance, retailer John Lewis (which hosted the event) couldn't confirm whether retail models would be coming to its stores in the future. But if you can afford 75 inches of TV, you can also afford a quick flight to Seoul to pick one up. %Gallery-159772%
UK department store John Lewis launches broadband service, get in on the ground floor
If you live in the UK, and were thinking "If only I could get my broadband from the same place I get my crystal tumbler set" then maybe now you can. Department store John Lewis, a favorite for wedding lists, furniture and homeware is branching out into the British ISP game. The standard package will be £11 a month (not including line rental,) offering "up to" 16Mb speeds and a 20GB data cap. More eager users can pay an extra £7 to remove that download limit. Both bundles benefit from a free phone support, no activation fee and, of course, wireless router. Sound like your kind of deal? Head down to the source link, or past the haberdashery section to find out more.
Sony S1 and S2 tablets hitting Europe in September?
Last time we heard talk of a Sony tablet, the company was confirming our suspicions about the existence of the S1 and S2, giving the distinctive Android devices a broad global release time frame of this fall. And now we've been shown a private note sent from Sony's marketing group, highlighting an August pre-order and an end of September release date for an unnamed tablet from the company, a timeline that's right in line with our initial report on the S1. The device, according to the note, will be available through Sony Direct, UK department store John Lewis, and a third still-unconfirmed retailer at launch. Availability will apparently open up after the Christmas holiday. The note doesn't offer up much info on the tablet, though it does promise that it stacks up well against the iPad and offers up some "unique design features," which may well refer to the S2's clamshell -- or, for that matter, the S1's curved back.
Next-gen iPod touch rumors heat up: front-facing camera, September release?
It's a bit early to confirm anything just yet, but it's starting to look like Apple might be working on a new iPod touch. The latest of evidence backing up that shocking fact are two separate rumors that cover some familiarly territory, but with a bit more weight than before. The more convincing of those are some purportedly authentic iPod touch parts that have turned up on a number of Chinese websites, which clearly show a hole on the front of the device that's presumably for a front-facing camera. That's backed up by some fresh comments from an exec at UK retailer John Lewis, who said that a major iPod touch refresh is coming in September, and that it will match many of the iPhone 4's features, including a 5-megapixel camera with HD video recording, a gyroscope and, yes, FaceTime support.
Samsung's 3DTVs now on sale in the U.K.
Say hello to Matt Rajah, the first owner of one of Samsung's new 3DTVs in the U.K. We hope he enjoys watching Monsters vs. Aliens over, and over, and over -- at least until that Sky 3D channel launches at home. Just in case you're wondering what would inspire someone to lay down £1,799 for the UE40 C7000, also take a look at the European version of Samsung's 3D ads, they strike us as a bit more compelling than the stuff they're airing here. %Gallery-91755%
Humax HD-FOX T2 and Panasonic TX-P42G20B become the first Freeview HD tuners on sale in the UK
Slowly but surely Freeview HD is making its entry into UK homes. The well-reviewed Humax HD-FOX T2 is living up to its promise of being the very first Freeview HD tuner around, and is now available to buy via the company's online store or at your local electronics outlet. Priced at £180 ($281), its listing on the Humax Direct Sales site has an amusing "this is NOT a recorder" blinking message to inform people that it lacks the PVR functionality that the forthcoming Toshiba HDR5010 will bring. If your disposable income stretches a bit further and you want your tuner integrated, Panasonic will happily exchange its 42-inch TX-P42G20 plasma for £1,100 ($1,717). It's the successor to the TX-P42G10 and boasts a 600Hz refresh rate along with a 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio and the prerequisite 1080p resolution. There's nothing we can do about the dearth of Freeview HD programming for the moment, but at least the hardware is finally out there.
Dell Adamo XPS: Exclusive to John Lewis in the UK for the holiday season
If you're lucky enough to live in the US, buying the super slim Adamo XPS is just a matter of hitting up Dell's website -- and then ponying up nearly $2,000, of course. Those in the UK, however, have been sorely out of luck. Luckily for them, we're hearing that the much lusted-after laptop will be available at John Lewis department stores in time for holiday shopping. That's right, this hinged baby -- which boasts a 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo SU9400 processor, a 128GB SSD, a 13.4-inch WLED panel, a 2 megapixel camera, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, and GS45 integrated graphics -- will be available there as of today, for the base price of £1750 (that's about $2,800). For a better idea of what this bad boy looks like, check out our hands-on impressions video after the break.
John Lewis' Ultimate kitchen combo includes obligatory LCD TV
While those of us here in America puff our chests out each time we waltz by that LCD-equipped centralpark Connection refrigerator, folks in the UK can get extra prideful courtesy of John Lewis. Although the integrated coffee machine, electric oven, steam oven and 19-inch HD-ready LCD TV can all be purchased separately, they're being (smartly) marketed together to create the "ultimate kitchen combo." The whole shebang will run you £2,246 ($4,363), and not surprisingly, it's the £699 ($1,358) tele that's likely to bring in the most profit. Meat-heads will agree to anything with pixels though, right?[Via CNET]
