John Lewis’ Christmas advert kicks off by highlighting its iconic window display
The advertising campaign is being handled by the Saatchi & Saatchi agency
John Lewis’ Christmas advert is getting underway with a three-spot advertising campaign.
Every year, the Christmas campaign starts a little earlier. Brands are in a hysterical spiral to see who publishes their Christmas ads first. Lately, the modus operandi is to wait until Halloween is over to start launching their Christmas campaigns.
But this time, a brand has beaten them to it. None other than the department store chain John Lewis, the iconic brand par excellence of British Christmas campaigns. With a strategy that involves launching three pre-sale ads, they are starting to warm up for the Christmas season while we are still wearing short sleeves.
John Lewis | The Window
“The Window” is the first of three pieces that will make up the John Lewis Christmas advert. It was created by the agency Saatchi & Saatchi, directed by the directing duo King She and produced by Somesuch.
The brand is bringing back the iconic slogan that has accompanied it for decades: “Never Knowingly Undersold”, when the department store chain pledged to offer its customers the best prices and pay them the difference if they found something cheaper. Abandoned in 2022, it has been revived thanks to AI, which can track the prices of its 25 main competitors.
The John Lewis Christmas advert focuses on the major changes in society that have been represented in the shop windows of department stores. The emergence of the toaster, the bunker that the chain became during the Second World War, the fashion of the 60s to the 80s, right up to today’s LED face masks.
The voiceover in the John Lewis Christmas advert reflects on his country’s past and what he has learned and what he hasn’t. In the background, a cover of Paul Simon’s song “I Know What I Know” performed by Laura Mvula.
According to Frankie Goodwin, chief creative officer at Saatchi & Saatchi London: “For the campaign we delved into the John Lewis archives, uncovering the deep connection the brand has forged with the nation over the past century. John Lewis is much more than just a store. This is the biggest campaign in our history and, drawing on our archives, we’re looking at trends and events that have taken place over the past century.”
Watc | YouTube
