This year’s John Lewis Christmas ad is all about gifting, which places it in firmly in the retailer’s long-running festive tradition.
For 2024, Saatchi & Saatchi gives us a woman who’s in John Lewis an hour before closing, looking for a gift for her sister. Rifling through the rails, she plunges into the clothes and takes a Narnia-style leap into the past, travelling through shared memories until she emerges into the present with the perfect gift.
Charlotte Lock, customer director at John Lewis, said: “The secret to finding the perfect gift is knowing where to look. Our ad heroes the thoughtful gift-giver and celebrates ‘the gifting hour’, the moment when you go a little deeper in your heart and in our stores to find something really special and meaningful for the ones you love. Our shops are the beating heart of our brand and our customers love the ritual of Christmas shopping there – so we wanted to give the store a starring role in our ad for the first time.”
This year’s song is an original tune by Richard Ashcroft from 90s band The Verve. There’s a competition to make your own version of the song, with the winner’s effort played out during the ad’s broadcast on Christmas Day itself.
Directed by Riff Raff’s Francois Rousselet, who has the right mix of commercial and music video experience, it works as a film but is it going to do the job for John Lewis? When the retailer is fighting off strong competition from rivals like Marks & Spencer, they might have spent more time in the present to showcase what’s on offer – and at least given the sisters better outfits.
MAA creative scale: 6
