John Lewis positions itself as ‘home of gifting’ with festive love letter to physical retail
Describing the retailer as having been “dormant for a few years”, customer director Charlotte Lock says John Lewis is “back” with a Christmas ad celebrating its stores.
John Lewis has moved away from brand characters for its 2024 Christmas advert with a focus on family bonds and in-store experiences, completing a trilogy of ads which kicked off in September.
Released today (14 November), ‘The Gifting Hour’ depicts a woman, Sally, running into the retailer’s flagship Oxford Street store 15 minutes before closing to find a gift for a sister. As she looks through the store, Sally falls through a rack of dresses and is transported to a world of memories she and her sister have shared from teenage arguments to pregnancies and happy memories in their childhood home. The ad ends with the strapline: ‘The secret to finding the perfect gift? Knowing where to look’.
The advert will go out to My John Lewis loyalty members at 7am, before being released to the general public on social media at 8am. The TV ad will get its first outing during ITV’s Coronation Street on Friday.
The second festive outing created by agency Saatchi & Saatchi and soundtracked to ‘Sonnet’ by Richard Ashcroft, the ad is peppered with John Lewis products and even old branding. Customer director Charlotte Lock explains the retailer is “really great at storytelling” and the “nation expects an emotional story” from John Lewis.
