Why John Lewis' Christmas Ad Spotlights Intergenerational Connection

It’s officially the festive season, as John Lewis unveils this year's Christmas ad, alongside heroes Gloria and Pickles. 

The campaign features Dame Kristin Scott Thomas as Gloria, who embarks on a journey of intergenerational connection, searching for the perfect gift for her grandchildren that isn’t a card filled with money. That leads her to rediscover her old Christmas gift, Pickles the dog, who has sat in her attic for years.

After a relentless search, Gloria and Pickles find themselves on the doorstep of John Lewis, where she purchases a range of products to create a “gran cave” in her home for her grandchildren.

The main idea came to fruition out of John Lewis’ own research showing that nearly half of its customers lack confidence when it comes to gift giving, landing on giving money rather than something meaningful. 

“The ad is about trying to help the nation restore its confidence in gifting for the people they love,” says Anna Braithwaite, CMO at John Lewis. “It's just about the thought of choosing something joyful for people.”

The 3-minute film, directed by Lucy Forbes (The End of the F*cking World, This Is Going To Hurt) sees the brand using an iconic British song, with Sam Fender's version of The Rolling Stones’ You Can’t Always Get What You Want.

Brand heritage mascot

With Pickles, the work sees John Lewis returning to its long-standing tradition of iconic Christmas characters, that birthed the likes of Monty the penguin (2014) and Edgar the dragon (2019). However, unlike ones originally made in the past, Pickles is a piece of brand history; the Fisher-Price pull-along dog toy has been on sale at the store for 60 years – and made the perfect companion for what is the brand’s 20th Christmas ad.

Franki Goodwin, CCO at Saatchi & Saatchi, reveals when looking for the perfect character for this year’s work, the creative team looked into John Lewis’ archives, before landing on Pickles. 

“We went into the archives to find a present that could credibly have been given in around the 1960s. It was just such a joy to find Pickles; creatively, if in doubt, add a dog,” she jokes.

Voiced by Paul Whitehouse (a suggestion from Scott Thomas herself), the team wanted Pickles to be a character that audiences would love, even if they were demanding some gifts weren’t up-to-scratch. 

The brand has even nodded towards this year’s star character in its flagship Oxford Street store, with a wagging tale in the window for eagle-eyed shoppers to spot.

Starring icons

Gloria and Pickles marks the brand’s first time using a celebrity icon in its Christmas ad.

“It is something different, but after 20 years it's hard to keep up,” explains Braithwaite. “You've got to keep putting up with fresh ideas, and because it was the 20th, we thought, why not? You've got to keep moving forward and trying to reinvent. It felt the right time and also the right person.”

Goodwin describes Scott Thomas as the “muse” of the story they were trying to create, and a “perfect character” for the film – particularly after finding out Scott Thomas was the right age that she could have genuinely been gifted a Pickles herself. 

Scott Thomas, who’s recently best known for her role in Apple TV’s Slow Horses, reveals she “couldn’t resist the opportunity” to lead a John Lewis Christmas ad. “Gloria’s journey captured my heart straight away. She represents so many parents and grandparents who want nothing more than to create lasting memories with the younger generation. Working alongside Pickles to create the ‘Gran Cave’ was an absolute joy, and I hope the ad brings a big smile to families across the UK this Christmas.”

Further icons to feature extends to the music, with Goodwin revealing Fender was a suggestion that came from director Forbes, having seen The Rolling Stones’ front man Mick Jagger praising the young artist online (who thinks Fender did “a great job with it”.)

The cover features a choir of children that attended Fender’s old school in Newcastle, physical copies are available on 7” and CD from John Lewis’ website as well as Fender’s. All John Lewis profits from the sale will be donated to its charity partner, Action for Children, while all of Fender’s will go to Teenage Cancer Trust. 

Fender describes having the honour of reworking such an iconic track for the ad as a “privilege”. “In the spirit of Christmas, we re-recorded the children’s choir with the kids from my old school, John Spence Community High School, and we arranged a brass section with the Easington Colliery Band.”

The joy of intergenerational connection

The work has something for everyone, regardless of their generation, Goodwin explains. 

“We're going to have some young people that never heard the song – as mind blowing as that is to me, and then you've also got people, including Dame Kristin herself, who don't know who Sam Fender is,” she laughs. “There’s this lovely bringing together of worlds, and that's really what Christmas and John Lewis is about.” 

And this extends to how generations will reach the ad; while it will officially air on TV on 3 November during ITV’s Coronation Street and then The Great British Bake Off, the work will extend to social channels, a range of up-coming in-store activations, and John Lewis’ own website, with Pickles taking over its logo. 

Last year’s ad saw over 11 million organic views, Braithwaite reveals, and the mix across the brand’s different channels has considered how the social and media landscapes are changing.

This is the fourth year Saatchi & Saatchi has taken the reigns on the brand’s awaited Christmas campaign, and Braithwaite notes how huge of a privilege it is to work with the agency for another year. 

“There’s this expectation on the nation because it's kind of like Christmas starts when the John Lewis ad plays out,” she explains. “There’s that pressure and that expectation, and you try and create something that the entire nation just absolutely adores, and you're never going to appeal to every single person every single year. It's absolutely impossible.” 

Goodwin, who has led the creative charge for all four Saatchi Christmas campaigns, outlines how the work is just as important to her agency-side team: “The more you do of them, you’re able to bring other people along for that journey. This is the first for a lot of my team, and you're able to say, ‘Don't overthink it – just enjoy the creative process and enjoy the absolute amazing doors that this advert open up’.”

The festive season can officially begin – all thanks to a 60-year-old Fisher-Price dog embarking on a magical retail mission with Dame Kristin Scott Thomas.