John Lewis feeds Christmas 2014 ad hype with 'Twitter Twinkle' app

John Lewis is gearing up for the highly-anticipated reveal of its Christmas 2014 campaign with the launch of a Twitter app that will post festive messages from fans' accounts.

John Lewis: gearing up for Christmas campaign with the 'Twitter Twinkle' app

The launch of the app also ties in to this week's switching on of Oxford Street's Christmas lights, which John Lewis is sponsoring. The retailer is promising users who sign up that it will "light up your cover photo and share the Christmas cheer with a tweet from you to all your friends".

The follow-up to last year’s "Bear and the Hare" is due to be revealed later this week.

The ‘Twitter Twinkle’ app is promoted on the department store’s Twitter and Facebook pages, with the words: "Help us switch on this year's Christmas lights with the John Lewis Twitter Twinkle."

Help us switch on this year's Christmas lights with the John Lewis Twitter Twinkle. Sign up >> http://t.co/CXHkDHcF8O http://t.co/ToGcmNvbMV
— John Lewis (@johnlewisretail) November 3, 2014

Not everyone is excited about John Lewis’s Christmas ad campaigns, with boss Andy Street admitting last month that some social media users were getting irritated by the hype surrounding last year’s ad.

However, a poll run by Marketing revealed that 2,700 readers (94% of those responding to the poll) disagreed with Street's statement.

He insisted that the retailer would this year take a "much more modest approach" after tweeters had accused the brand of "getting too big for its boots".

But John Lewis is acknowledging consumer excitement over the ad and yesterday tweeted: "To those tweeters who have been asking about our Christmas Ad, we'll be revealing it later this week - stay tuned!"

To those tweeters who have been asking about our Christmas Ad, we'll be revealing it later this week - stay tuned! pic.twitter.com/pXUjNbO1FZ
— John Lewis (@johnlewisretail) November 3, 2014