Forget John Lewis, forget even M&S’s hunky James Norton effort, this 2014 low-budget ad for Thorne Travel is going wildly viral all over again and it will always be top of our tree
The new John Lewis Christmas ad has been roundly criticised from all quarters for missing the mark, despite it costing well over £1 million. It’s poor reception provoked Twitter user Chuck Thomas to provide proof that you don’t need a huge budget to make a memorable ad. You don’t even need a medium budget. In fact you barely need a budget at all.
He shared this wonderful ad from Thorne Travel, which went viral when it was first launched in 2014 and has now reached over 1 million views, 12 years later.
As Chuck explains, it really does have everything.
Everyone’s talking about the John Lewis advert. But it’s nothing compared to this masterpiece from Thorne Travel.
Power-walking travel agents. A flash mob. Pumping house music. And unofficial Disney characters.
Every time you think they’ve run out of ideas, another one arrives. https://t.co/I0Nr4FcHmj
— Chuck Thomas 📺 (@chuckthomasuk) November 8, 2026
Truly the gift that keeps on giving. The internet agreed.