Pair behind John Lewis ad 'blown away' by reaction

This year's John Lewis Christmas advert has been praised for exploring masculinity

The duo behind this year's John Lewis Christmas advert say they have been "blown away" by the reaction it has received.

The brand's Where Love Lives campaign depicts a teenage boy, who struggles to express his emotions for his dad, using music as a way to connect with him.

University of Lincoln alumni Ollie Agius and Pete Ioulianou are the creative pair behind this year's ad, which has been praised for exploring masculinity and emotion.

Mr Agius said: "We've had nothing like this in our career before. The reaction has been amazing. We've literally been blown away by it."

The advert, which is viewed by many as marking the start of the festive season, shows a dad opening a Christmas present - a vinyl record of Where Love Lives.

A reimagined version of Alison Limerick's song plays while clips show the father dancing in a 90s club and flashbacks of his son as a baby.

When they return to present day, the man embraces his son before the end line "If you can't find the words, find the gift" appears on screen.

The creative duo behind the campaign say the idea is "expressing how you feel to someone you love with a thoughtful gift this Christmas"

The creative advertising alumni, who are associate creative directors at Saatchi & Saatchi, spent eight months crafting the ad.

Some analysts have said the advert has "responded to the crisis of masculinity", suggesting it has undertones of hit Netflix drama Adolescence.

Mr Ioulianou said the process began with the end line.

He said: "As a nation we sometimes struggle to kind of say how we feel but a gift is one way of doing that.

"So the whole idea is really expressing how you feel to someone you love with a thoughtful gift this Christmas."

Speaking about the song, Mr Agius said: "We wanted something that was nostalgic for the dad's to reminisce, to go back in time and to remember those good times on the dance floors.

"We landed with one which was an all-time classic and made people feel good and the lyrics worked really well for us as well."

'Over the moon'

Speaking of the expectations that come with making one of the biggest adverts of the year, Mr Ioulianou said: "It's pressure, of course, but I think it's also a massive privilege."

Mr Agius joked: "I do feel like part of the reason why it's gone viral is my dad's been sharing it to anyone and everyone. He's been a very proud father.

"We're over the moon with it and it couldn't have gone any better really for us."

Dave Pettitt, programme leader and senior lecturer in creative advertising at the University of Lincoln, said: "Seeing Ollie and Pete's names attached to a campaign of this cultural impact is incredibly rewarding."

Mr Ioulianou said he hadn't heard of Lincolnshire before he came to the university but added he "absolutely loved" his time in Lincoln.

"I thought it's such a lovely place. The cathedral was beautiful, going up Steep Hill, a lot of fond memories in The Engine Shed," he said.

Mr Agius added: "It's lovely to go back and reminisce and see how the city's going on and how it's changed."

Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.

Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices