John Lewis, Britain’s self-proclaimed “favourite” retailer, is playing on viewers’ heart strings to the tune of a 39.7% sales increase. Their method? A recent TV advertisement that has the nation crying in their Earl Grey. If you aren’t familiar with the retailer (as I wasn’t), John Lewis is a High Street staple that sells everything from organic fashion designed by actress Emma Watson to fitness equipment and picnic linens.

The ad spot chronicles the life of a woman from birth to 70 years old in a minute and a half. Glaringly idealistic and agonizingly believable, the advertisement begins with a baby girl in a crib and follows her through birthdays, college, a wedding, and – oh look! She has her own baby girl! They throw fabulous picnics and make cupcakes, and before you know it, her children have their own children. Blink and she’s 70.

The message is that life is beautiful, emotional, and fleeting. If you’re going to buy stainless steel cutlery and baby sheets, shouldn’t you get the best deal on the highest quality products available? All of this is reinforced by a low-fi cover of Billy Joel’s “Always A Woman” by The Guillemot’s Fyfe Dangerfield. Encase all of that in hazy, one-take production, and you’ll find yourself watching it with eyes wide and chin dropped. I think I do need new curtains! Where is a John Lewis for crying out loud?! And some tissues?

Emotional branding expert Marc Gobè describes this approach to marketing as finding “the crucial defining element that separates success from indifference in the marketplace.” Call me bold, but I’d certainly classify a nearly 40% leap in sales as a success. So what was the emotional element that has made this effort so successful? Perhaps it is the trademark restraint of the Brits, but the ad never once highlights a brand name or product price. It’s a departure from what we often see in the States (think: product centered Target ads). Perhaps it’s the careful blend of heartfelt music and visuals that transcend whatever it is we’d be shopping for in the first place.

Check out the video here and let me know: what do you think made this a smashing success?

Contributed by Lauren Cribbs