Sir Elton John could be up against Take That in the battle for this year’s most popular Christmas television advert.
Marks and Spencer is believed to have signed up Take That while Elton John is understood to be involved in the John Lewis campaign, in deal reported to be worth £5m.
Songs used in Christmas adverts often become chart toppers in November and December. They are also viewed millions of times online, giving publicity to major high street chains.
The John Lewis advert is expected to feature Elton John’s hit Your Song, along with filmed footage from the 71-year-old singer’s life. Ellie Goulding sang a version of the same track in the 2010 John Lewis advert, which reached number 2 in the charts.
Take That, whose hits include the 2007 smash Rule the World, are said to be sought by Marks and Spencer to front their campaign.
The Sun reported that an “insider” said: “The whole theme of the ad is based around people getting Christmas surprises.
“Then at the end the plan is for Take That to appear unexpectedly as part of a massive shock moment.
“They’re just ironing out the details but the band are keen and hopefully it will be a huge success.
“The Christmas ads have become a massive deal and the pressure is on each year to come up with something fresh and exciting.”
Among the most successful adverts in recent years was the John Lewis ‘Monty the Penguin’ advert from 2014. Tom Odell’s hit ‘Real Love’ was the backing track.
The 2010 ‘Christmas Musical Extravaganza’ for Marks and Spencer was also well received. But perhaps the most popular M&S advert was last year’s ‘Paddington and the Christmas Visitor’. It depicts the famous bear meeting Santa Claus and aired at the same time as blockbuster feature film Paddington 2 was showing in cinemas.
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