John Lewis’ Christmas advert takes a brand new course with a relatable sister story

UK retailer John LewisChristmas promoting, lengthy seen because the unofficial begin of the festive season within the UK, goes in a distinct course this yr by depicting a type of on a regular basis, family-friendly festive magic.

On Thursday November 14, John Lewis launched “The Gifting Hour”, the second Christmas marketing campaign by the Saatchi & Saatchi company, which took over the adam&eveDDB account in 2023.

The nostalgic advert is the story of two sisters. When a lady visits a John Lewis retailer in a frantic seek for a last-minute Christmas current for her sister, she stumbles upon a magical portal that takes her on a journey by means of her siblings’ recollections.

There are surreal parts within the movie, directed by famed music video director and industrial François Rousselet, as the girl recollects moments along with her sister by means of the prism of childhood and adolescence. She returns to the true world, having lastly chosen the precise reward, and meets her sister outdoors the shop.

The final line says: “The key to discovering the proper reward? Know the place to look.

For the primary time this yr, John Lewis has created a three-part promoting collection culminating with this Christmas spot.

The primary installment, which debuted in September, revived the model’s long-standing slogan, “By no means knowingly undersold”, and used the shop window as a visible metaphor for John Lewis’s evolution over the century final.

The second half, launched earlier this month, was a product-focused spot showcasing the retailer’s prime 100 presents of the season and reminding prospects to “give properly.”

The ultimate a part of the trilogy shines a highlight on the giver, empathizing with the tense means of considerate gifting, mentioned Charlotte Lock, chief buyer officer at John Lewis. In one other first for its Christmas advert, the shop performs a starring position within the advert.

There are a number of different model departures on this yr’s marketing campaign.

John Lewis is understood for peppering its adverts with covers of traditional songs, however this yr’s monitor is an authentic: 1998 Sonnet by English rock band The Verve. The selection of the Nineteen Nineties track is intentional to mirror the occasions the sisters grew up, Lock mentioned.

As a part of the marketing campaign, John Lewis will conduct a nationwide search by way of TikTok to search out an unknown expertise to cowl Sonnet and carry out the track throughout a particular airing of the advert this Christmas. Verve singer Richard Ashcroft and a panel of judges will choose the winner, who will obtain knowledgeable recording session, their cowl launched by music writer BMG, a purchasing journey with John Lewis and tickets to an Ashcroft present in 2025.

Discovering the reality in promoting

One other main change is the tone of the model, which has advanced to develop into extra human, mentioned Franki Goodwin, inventive director of Saatchi & Saatchi.

“We wished to start out enthusiastic about the client, our viewers and the journeys they take as folks,” she mentioned.

Earlier John Lewis Christmas adverts used magical, emotional storytelling and featured cuddly anthropomorphic characters, from the penguin to the dragon to the monster that lives underneath the mattress. Saatchi & Saatchi’s Christmas debut for John Lewis final yr depicts a playful character Venus fly entice.

This yr’s movie maintains a fantastical, imaginative high quality, however the focus is on an actual, human relationship, Lock mentioned.

“We inform relatable tales and discover the true fact in promoting,” she continued. “We’d like our prospects to see themselves and know why we’re right here.”

The times of blockbusters are over

Beginning with its 2011 Christmas advert, ‘The Lengthy Wait’, from former adam&eveDDB company John Lewis has carved out a notable place in British promoting to construct anticipation and spark curiosity among the many common public, thereby changing into the topic of tabloids and nationwide media headlines.

Nonetheless, this yr’s trilogy alerts a shift within the promoting panorama. John Lewis’ technique follows a pattern from different retailers, together with Walmart and Goal within the US, which have deserted the hit single spot in favor of episodic collection or a number of campaigns to seize consideration in the course of the busy vacation season.

“Beforehand, the Christmas advert launched throughout an enormous TV second and seemed extra just like the Tremendous Bowl. It doesn’t work like that anymore,” Lock mentioned, citing elements equivalent to declining tv viewing figures, media fragmentation and the affect of social media.

Final yr’s John Lewis Christmas advert was seen round 100 million occasions, 50 million of them on social media earlier than it even aired on tv, she famous.

“Our problem is to proceed the dialog,” Lock mentioned. “The factor we have to do most is be sudden. Like a film franchise, if you recognize what’s coming, it will get boring.