MyVoucherCodes' #MonsterDiscounts
For the third year running, PR agency Frank and students from the School of Communication Arts created a budget version of the John Lewis campaign for its client MyVoucherCodes. According to the agency, it spent £700 and created the ad in seven hours. This is in comparison to the retailer's original version, which reportedly cost £7m.
Click here to see last year's effort.
The Poke's grouchy Gruffalo
Comedy website The Poke, co-founded by Taylor Herring boss James Herring, created a short clip from the point of view of Julia Donaldson's beloved fictional character, The Gruffalo. The Poke's version features a less-than-impressed monster venting about why he wasn't asked to star in the John Lewis ad.
Herring said: "We've done various spoofs of the John Lewis Christmas ad in the past - but there was no obvious way to mash-up this year's offering. So with Paddington making such a splash for M&S, we wondered what the Gruffalo would make of the John Lewis monster."
Stop Funding Hate - Buster's lost his bounce
Campaign group Stop Funding Hate created a parody in which last year's hero, Buster the Boxer, returns - but without his bounce. The video is designed to urge John Lewis, as well as several other major retailers, to stop buying advertising space in newspapers that the group claims spread hate.
Buster’s backing #StopFundingHate! Please share & urge @JohnLewisRetail to put the bounce back in his Christmas! #StartSpreadingLove #MozTheMonster #BringBackBuster https://t.co/zwwBYLdMBZ pic.twitter.com/UheUigMHa4
— Stop Funding Hate (@StopFundingHate) November 10, 2017
Keele University - #LoveKeele
Keele University created a simple, 30-second cut that replaces Moz with a giant squirrel. The spoof, which also features a large acorn instead of Joe's nightlight, was posted to the university's Twitter account just four hours after the original went live.
Boz the Monster
Boz the Monster, created by media site Joe, is a Brexit-inspired parody featuring Theresa May and Boris Johnson, who lives under her bed.
#TrumpThePresident
Sticking with politics, another revision of the ad, created by a small YouTube channel, includes some of US President Donald Trump's most recognisable (and questionable) quotes.
Save me: John Lewis’ alternative Christmas ad
Ahead of the launch of the real John Lewis campaign (below), an alternative version was posted to YouTube featuring a fox chasing a mouse through a snowy woodland setting. The duo are then plunged into an icy lake where things take a turn for the worse...
Perhaps its creator, evan youtuberuk, was hoping to repeat the success of 2016 from student Nick Jablonka, whose pre-emptive parody fooled people in their thousands and was rated by some as better than the real thing.
The real thing
In case you haven't seen it yet (where have you been?), here's the real thing. Click here to get the lowdown on the 2017 John Lewis Christmas campaign.
Last year's efforts
Finally, and for an extra dose of John Lewis parodies, check out 2016's efforts.
Seen a 2017 parody you think's worthy of this list? Send suggestions to: robert.smith@haymarket.com
Read next: Which retailers' Christmas campaigns are cracker and which have proved turkeys?
