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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Man named John Lewis stars in Twitter UK's Christmas ad | Man named John Lewis stars in Twitter UK's Christmas ad |
| (about 2 months later) | |
| Every year the frenzy around John Lewis’s Christmas ad results in the chain’s namesake, an American lecturer, being mistakenly inundated with thousands of tweets. This year he stars in his own Christmas ad. | Every year the frenzy around John Lewis’s Christmas ad results in the chain’s namesake, an American lecturer, being mistakenly inundated with thousands of tweets. This year he stars in his own Christmas ad. |
| Twitter UK has paid for the “real” John Lewis, who receives more than 50,000 tweets a year meant for the British retail chain, to appear in a tongue-in-cheek ad playing on the case of mistaken identity. | Twitter UK has paid for the “real” John Lewis, who receives more than 50,000 tweets a year meant for the British retail chain, to appear in a tongue-in-cheek ad playing on the case of mistaken identity. |
| This year, Twitter UK struck a deal with Lewis – whose social media profile states he is “not a retail store” – to make an ad which was released on social media on Monday. | This year, Twitter UK struck a deal with Lewis – whose social media profile states he is “not a retail store” – to make an ad which was released on social media on Monday. |
| Elton John brings star quality to John Lewis Christmas advert | Elton John brings star quality to John Lewis Christmas advert |
| Lewis, who is a computer science lecturer at Virginia Tech university, has had the Twitter handle @johnlewis since 2007. He has said that the retail store, which uses @jlandpartners as its official corporate presence, has never offered to buy it from him. Lewis has about 43,000 Twitter followers, more than double the number that follow the official John Lewis customer service Twitter feed, @jlandpcustserv. | Lewis, who is a computer science lecturer at Virginia Tech university, has had the Twitter handle @johnlewis since 2007. He has said that the retail store, which uses @jlandpartners as its official corporate presence, has never offered to buy it from him. Lewis has about 43,000 Twitter followers, more than double the number that follow the official John Lewis customer service Twitter feed, @jlandpcustserv. |
| “I think it’s hilarious that people mistake me for the UK store and I do my best to direct them to the right place,” said Lewis. “I see a massive spike in tweets at this time of year and I always watch the John Lewis advert, especially as it becomes a big part of my conversation.” | “I think it’s hilarious that people mistake me for the UK store and I do my best to direct them to the right place,” said Lewis. “I see a massive spike in tweets at this time of year and I always watch the John Lewis advert, especially as it becomes a big part of my conversation.” |
| Lewis – who lives in Blacksburg, Virginia, which the ad points out is 3,683 miles (5,927km) from the UK – has become something of a cult figure for his good-natured and witty responses to many of the tweets he receives. | Lewis – who lives in Blacksburg, Virginia, which the ad points out is 3,683 miles (5,927km) from the UK – has become something of a cult figure for his good-natured and witty responses to many of the tweets he receives. |
| I've got a truck you can borrow but the fuel costs will be ridiculous. @jlandpartners https://t.co/jl4bz698LR | I've got a truck you can borrow but the fuel costs will be ridiculous. @jlandpartners https://t.co/jl4bz698LR |
| The campaign pays homage to recent John Lewis Christmas ads; eagle-eyed viewers might spot a telescope, a miniature moon ornament, Monty the penguin and Buster the boxer. | The campaign pays homage to recent John Lewis Christmas ads; eagle-eyed viewers might spot a telescope, a miniature moon ornament, Monty the penguin and Buster the boxer. |
| Twitter has branded the campaign #NotARetailStore in a nod to the comment on Lewis’s profile. | Twitter has branded the campaign #NotARetailStore in a nod to the comment on Lewis’s profile. |
| Lewis says he didn’t actually use Twitter for a couple of years after signing up and that it was in fact being mistaken for the UK store that galvanised him into becoming a regular user. | Lewis says he didn’t actually use Twitter for a couple of years after signing up and that it was in fact being mistaken for the UK store that galvanised him into becoming a regular user. |
| John Lewis Christmas ad | John Lewis Christmas ad |
| Retail industry | Retail industry |
| John Lewis | John Lewis |
| Advertising | Advertising |
| news | news |
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