An Ode To Meaning

By now, come November, everyone knows the drill: keep eyes peeled, get ready for the sparkle, wonder, and heartfelt pangs in the chest. Find the online teaser, guess the song - and still be surprised.

For the last 15 years, the John Lewis advert has been ringing in the UK's Christmas, arguably more than anything else.

So it is fitting that this year the retailer has reminded us how gifts can help remedy a very British behaviour - finding it hard to put personal feelings into words.

But beyond that, in the age of online, it's a long running brand strategy that is testament to the power of true tangible connection through physical items too.

Saatchi & Saatchi’s latest two-minute spot opens in a family home. As the wrapping paper settles, a father finds one more gift labelled "Dad" on a smiley Post-it note. Inside is a vinyl copy of 'Where Love Lives', Alison Limerick’s 1990s house classic.

What follows is a throwback reverie: a 90s club scene awash in light, where the father, older than the crowd, glimpses his teenage son among the dancers - triggering memories of first steps, small hands, and time passed.

The music transitions from Limerick’s upbeat track to a slowed-down iteration of the song as the scene switches back to the living room and reality.

It ends with the father and son sharing a tender hug and it closes with the tagline: "If you can't find the words, find the gift".

Given that last year the retailer kicked off a three-part series of ads by bringing back 'Never Knowingly Undersold', and reminding viewers of the legacy behind John Lewis's history, this year the brief was simpler.

"Our brief this year was thoughtful gifting in an unexpected way," explains Saatchi & Saatchi's chief creative officer Franki Goodwin.

This meant balancing John Lewis's iconic legacy of storytelling with a simple concept that puts connection at its heart (be it across generations, music, time or father and son connections).

"It felt like the right thing to do to keep it grounded, strip it back and tell a slightly simpler story to get that connection between father and son...exploring authentic relationships, using music as a bridge across generations".

It has taken a less conventional approach than exploring mother-daughter bonds over shopping, as they did with last year's 'The Gifting Hour'. Father-son relationships are very much a zeitgeisty topic in a year which saw the release of 'Adolescence' and so much discussion around toxic masculinity.

There was also a hint of luck with the choice of song, admits Goodwin, it was selected before the year saw the growth of a 90s revival (which culminated in millions of people, spanning various generations, queuing up to see Oasis perform and bond over hits from the past).

Beyond that, it is the sprinkle of analogue: a vinyl record with a beautiful cover and scenes with people dancing that makes the ad feel of the moment.

"Filming a Christmas ad in the Electric Brixton felt pretty surprising - especially because we found ourselves there in the middle of summer. We were always trying to move it on, but not for the sake of it, but because that's what the story asks us to do," explains Goodwin.

A physical approach

From selling vinyl copies of the track to creating new lounge spaces, John Lewis is celebrating the physical act of shopping in store.

As part of a connection with Rough Trade which the retailer has had since last year, the retailer will sell vinyl copies of the tracks explains John Lewis brand marketing director Amy Tippen-Smith. She adds that people don't just buy the covers because they have a turntable; often, it's a physical manifestation of a connection.

"Quite a lot of mums shop with their daughters or grandparents bring them in-store. One of the things we're always trying to strive to create at John Lewis is a really enjoyable shopping experience. This can be enhanced in so many different ways by creating and showcasing our beautiful products and having music in the store," explains Tippen-Smith.

But that hasn't been at the expense of an integrated strategy: "We've got a very detailed social plan. We put one note of the track onto TikTok and straight away people were trying to guess the song. It's a huge part of our thinking, but ultimately I still believe classic storytelling lives online," explains Goodwin.

Tippen-Smith reveals that there will be "econometric tracking" and the marketing team will look at its impact on sales to gauage the campaign's success. The long-term impact on the brand is just as crucial for her, if not more, she adds.

"It's a testament to why we've run these [Christmas campaigns] for 18 years - it creates a much bigger, better long-term effect as we go through the year".

And it's exactly those moments that the retailer is reminding viewers of.

As the media landscape becomes increasingly fragmented, this year's ad is a reminder that 90s bangers, a vinyl disk, and a trip up the escalators with grandmother, mother, dad, or whoever, are where real retail stories happen.