Elton John's 'Rocket Man' becomes 'Rakuten' in retailer's holiday spot

The Japanese e-commerce brand worked with Pereira O'Dell

Published On
Nov 12, 2020

Editor's Pick

Elton John songs have provided the soundtracks to holiday ads for many retailers over the years (and in 2018, John Lewis devoted its entire Christmas ad to the legendary British singer.)

So Rakuten, the Japanese retail and e-commerce site, found serendipity in the fact that its name sounded similar to Elton John's classic "Rocket Man." This year's holiday spot from the retailer, via Pereira O'Dell, features a woman's heartfelt rendition of a rewritten version of the song with the lyrics "I shop at Rakuten" after her couch turns into an impromptu keyboard. The ditty explains how fun it is to buy items on Rakuten and get cash back.

Two more spots in the campaign feature different versions of the song: a couple duetting in their apartment, which turns into a dance floor, and a woman whose kitchen table becomes a piano as she shops for jeans and a yoga mat. 

Filip Engstrom of Smuggler was the director, and Barking Owl is responsible for the music, sound design and mix, to which which we can definitely imagine viewers singing along.

Credits

Date
Nov 12, 2020
Client :
Rakuten
Agency :
Pereira O'Dell
Chief Marketing Officer :
Dana Marineau
Vice President of Brand & Creative :
Victoria Wagner McRae
Creative Strategy Director :
Lindsay Grant
Chief Creative Officer :
Rob Lambrechts
Executive Creative Director :
Jason Apaliski
Creative Director :
Simon Friedlander
Creative Director :
Jean Morrow
Creative Director :
Thiago Cruz
Managing Director :
Natalie Nymark
Brand Director :
Kevin John
Senior Brand Supervisor :
Alison Bickel
Brand Manager :
Katherine Alders
Head of Strategy :
Sean Staley
Group Strategy Director :
Lenny Karpel
Brand Strategy Director :
Ellie Caldwell
Director of Communications Strategy :
Ashley Wells
Social Strategy Director :
Damara Dikeou
Media :
Ocean Media
SVP Client Services :
Clintton Fleschere
Account Director :
Lori Kajiya
Account Director :
Tiffany Quach
VP Digital Strategy :
Jared Lake
Digital Media Supervisor :
Bryan Howland
Account Executive :
Kelsey Conover
Director Data Analytics :
Mark Wells
Media Analyst :
Jennifer Rush
Senior Media Negotiator :
Michelle Sullivan
Music Sound Design and Mix :
Barking Owl
Creative Director :
Kelly Bayett
Producer :
KC Dossett
Composer :
Brian Canning
Composer :
Ethan Walter
Sound Designer :
Morgan Johnson
Mixer :
Matt Keith
Production :
Smuggler
Director :
Filip Engstrom
Co-Founder :
Patrick Milling-Smith
Co-Founder :
Brian Carmody
Executive Producer :
Sue Yeon Ahn
Chief Operating Officer :
Andrew Colón
Head of Production :
Alex Hughes
Producer :
Francesca Lentini
Director of Photography :
Filip Marek
Production Designer :
Jason Dawes
Editor :
Stefan Strom
VFX :
Syndicate
Supervisor/Lead Artist :
Bjorn Benckert
CG Artist :
Mattias Malmer
CG Artist :
Robert Westman
CG Artist :
Jackob Dahlström
CG Artist :
Tobias Dahlen
CG Artist :
Marcus Malmer

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