Great Work: John Lewis trials 360 shopping
In the latest in our series highlighting great creative campaigns on Facebook and Instagram, we take a look at 360 degree ads for retailer John Lewis
John Lewis became the first UK retailer to trial 360-degree video adverts on Facebook in September as part of its ‘Only Here’ Autumn campaign.
Ads were shot by agency Punch Communications at a house in South London. Facebook users can move their fingers or drag their mouse to look around an open plan kitchen/diner and view products that are exclusive to John Lewis. They can also click through to the John Lewis website to order or find out more about an item.
Punch used multiple cameras to create the panoramic footage. The video showcases dining chairs, sofas and a dresser as well as accessories and lighting.
Eva Bojtos, Senior Manager for Social Marketing at John Lewis, says the brand was keen to test the 360 format as demand for more immersive content continues to grow.
Exclusive to John Lewis, explore our Croft Collection at every angle. Turn your device or drag your finger to move around within the video.
Posted by John Lewis on Montag, 25. September 2017
The ads are designed to offer customers a more seamless shopping experience as users can go from being inspired by an item to viewing it on the brand’s website in a single click. “This trial forms part of our strategy to offer our customers more inspiring experiences both in shops and online,” says Bojtos.
“Facebook is an important platform to reach customers and research has found that 51% of shoppers say they’re excited that VR will play a part of their shopping experiences in the future,” she adds.
The campaign allows John Lewis to trial 360 ads before the festive season ensues. Speaking to CR’s sister title Marketing Week, Bojtos says there was potential for the brand to use the format during other seasons, adding that it could “work in any environment from fashion to home”.
Several brands have experimented with Facebook’s 360 format since it launched in 2015 – from Absolut to Mastercard and the Dali Museum – but it remains new territory for retailers.
The campaign shows how the format can be used to create an engaging shopping experience that works seamlessly on a mobile and it’s likely we’ll see more of its kind from other retailers in the future.
Great Work is part of Inspire, a year-long partnership between Creative Review, Facebook and Instagram to showcase outstanding creative work across both platforms.
Facebook and Instagram’s Creative Hub was launched this year to help the creative communities understand mobile marketing. The online tool allows creatives to experiment with content formats – from Instagram video to Facebook Canvas – and produce mock-ups to share with clients and stakeholders. It also showcases successful campaigns created for mobile. Try out the mock up tool at facebook.com/ads/creativehub and see the inspiration gallery at facebook.com/ads/creativehub/gallery