How John Lewis looked to bring “heart, trauma and love” to eagerly awaited Christmas ad

The first installment, ‘The Window,’ showcased the defining eras of the store through a changing storefront, while the second, ‘Give Knowingly,’ shifted the focus to the products.

Now, the trilogy reaches its conclusion with Saatchi & Saatchi's, ‘The Gifting Hour’. The story follows Sally, who, like many people, has left her festive shopping a bit late and is now rushing to find a gift for her sister at a John Lewis store.

While browsing, Sally tumbles through a rack of dresses and is transported back to her childhood home, stepping into a magical world that brings the sister’s memories to life. From early childhood moments to teenage drama, the ad vividly captures the sibling’s bond through all its highs and lows. Finally, Sally finds the perfect gift, reuniting with her sister in the present day, as their journey through the years comes full circle.

The relationship is one that the retailer’s chief customer officer Charlotte Lock hopes is relatable to many. “The secret to finding the perfect gift is knowing where to look, it's in your memories, it's deep in your relationship. It's in your heart. It's in John Lewis.

“And we've not presented a relationship as perfect, because there are ups and downs, especially with somebody that you've probably known for 25 years. There's tension, there's joy, and there's heartache and grief and all of those things that combine to make your relationship special. We're saying that's where to look, make it personal, make it meaningful,” she says.

This isn’t a cookie-cutter, picture-perfect depiction of family life; it captures moments of teenage angst, hurtful comments and life-changing events. Yet, woven throughout is a sense of deep history, love and the richness that only close relationships can bring.

It's a “relationship study”

The script evolved from a conversation between the ad agency and its client back in March, which saw a wall of work being discussed. “I would say it was probably the most exposing meeting I've ever had,” confesses Saatchi’s chief creative officer Franki Goodwin. “There were first thoughts, there were badly written scripts, there were lines and lines on a piece of paper.”

She recalls that the jumper at the center of the film was there, amid chatter about a story of two sisters. Goodwin says it’s a “relationship study” and a relationship that John Lewis hasn’t explored in its advertising before. She continues: “There’s a lot of heart and trauma and love in that sister story.”

How many Christmas ads are “an original story?”

Lock says that once the Saatchi & Saatchi team hit a groove with the writing it was full steam ahead and John Lewis was on-board with the idea right away. “We're storytellers, and I think if you read this story in a book, it would move you. It's so well observed,” she adds. “It's very human, it's authentic, and I would say, how many Christmas ads, if you actually wrote the story down, would be an original story?”

Nailing the script with plenty of time to spare left more space for production and to find the right creative team to work on the project. It also meant that, visually, they could bring in the festive influence from real John Lewis stories into the spot, according to Lock.

The production is a treasure trove of captivating items, including a few vintage pieces, many of which the team found on eBay. If you look into the teenager's bedroom, for example, there are retro John Lewis boxes and products. Every single detail was meticulously thought about, from the 90s necklace the younger sister wears to her incredible noughties tracksuit.

Goodwin explains, that in previous years John Lewis has taken characters from the ad and put them in the stores but this year they have attempted to “put the store” in the ad.

Each part of the trilogy had the same budget

Creating a three-part campaign hasn’t been without its challenges though with Lock admitting that it was highly ambitious for the brand. “Neither of us got a bigger team or a bigger budget. You know, we've had to be very, very resourceful,” she explains. “We took pretty much all of our creative and advertising spend from the first half [of the year] and put it in the second half. So, you know, obviously, internally, I have to say, look, this is really worthwhile.”

Lock explains that, although the John Lewis ad is such an institution, they do not want it to overpower the entire brand.

“We want the Christmas ad to bring the brand to life and let it breathe,” she notes, adding that if last year was a moment for entertainment, then this is showing off what is uniquely John Lewis.

“We're proud of our history, who we are and that we're still thriving on the high street, we're proud of the fact that customers trust us. And you know, we're kind of so uncool, we're cool. We put a teapot in an ad! After 160 years, you know yourself. It feels very uniquely John Lewis. It's got lovely eccentricity with the surreal elements of the dream world and the memories. It's different.”

Lock concludes by saying that they try not to think about how they can keep topping each ad but that they hope to deliver something different for customers time and time again.

Avoiding tick box characters

“That's one of the things that the nation expects. It's not just about tick box of character, plus music, plus emotion, it's about surprising,” she says.

“The reason that the John Lewis Christmas ad franchise has been striving for so long is that the creatives come up with something different and new. Nobody wants to copy what's gone before, because everybody wants to put their original stamp on it. And I think Frankie and the team have done that,” adds Lock.