#Penguinwars Heat Up in U.K. as Penguin Books Hits Back at John Lewis

Predictably enough, the John Lewis Christmas mascot, Monty the Penguin, has his own Twitter account, which is mostly concerned with Monty's attempts to find love and to woo Mabel, his on-screen soul mate in the department store's Christmas spot by Adam & Eve/DDB London. Less predictable is the arrival of the #penguinwars hashtag, as two other iconic British penguins fight to reclaim the limelight from Monty, who already has 27,000 followers. Penguin Books tweeted indignantly, "Who is this #montythepenguin"? and produced its own Vine spoof of the John Lewis spot, with a Penguin book instead of a penguin mate as the ultimate Christmas gift. The book publisher also created this Christmas film (above), which it tweeted with the message, "#penguinwars. From one Penguin to another ... THIS is real love. Give this video a LIKE if you know which Penguin you want under your Christmas tree." Meanwhile, U.K. cookie marketer McVities, which has been making Penguin-branded cookies since 1932, is also refusing to cede penguin glory to newcomer Monty. The brand tweeted the message, "This Penguin is for lunch, not just for Christmas," playing on the famous "Dogs are for life, not just for Christmas" campaign for the Dog's Trust.

#Penguinwars Heat Up in U.K. as Penguin Books Hits Back at John Lewis

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