John Lewis Christmas Ad celebrates the power of thoughtful gifting

Saatchi & Saatchi and John Lewis have today unveiled the 2025 Christmas campaign, ‘Where Love Lives’. 

The fully integrated campaign is built on a simple yet profound insight: when you can’t find the perfect words, you can still find the perfect gift. Inviting the nation to say what they truly feel through the timeless power of thoughtful gifting, exploring how the right present can express what words can’t, capturing connection, memory, and emotion in a way that feels both new and unmistakably John Lewis.

The work has music at the heart as the great connector. 90s dance icon Alison Limerick provides the soundtrack with her iconic hit ‘Where Love Lives’, with a newly reimagined version by globally acclaimed artist and producer Labrinth featuring in the campaign.

The hero film - which will run across TV, digital and cinema - is supported by a fully integrated mix of OOH, social and digital activity. This is supported by extensive in-store experiences and gifting initiatives throughout the festive period, ensuring a cohesive brand presence across every touchpoint. 

The campaign leads with a two minute film directed by Jonathan Alric of acclaimed French duo, The Blaze. Set on Christmas Day in a family household, takes viewers to Christmas Day in a family household. Passing a son who’s in his own world with headphones on, the focus shifts to the Dad, who is by the tree on his hands and knees clearing up discarded wrapping paper. 

Amongst the wrapping paper, he discovers an unopened present marked ‘Dad’ with a smiley face. Inside is a vinyl record of Where Love Lives by Alison Limerick. He heads straight to his record player and drops the needle gently into the groove. As the opening bars of the 90s classic fill the room, he closes his eyes - and the power of the music evokes a core memory, transporting him back to the 1990s he remembers and loves.   

Viewers are then taken on the Dad’s journey as he loses himself in the music. Suddenly, he’s in a 90s club, dancing with his friends. Through the strobe lights he spots his teenage son across the crowd. Calling out to him, the son begins to fade beneath the flashing lights as the music swells to a crescendo. 

In the flashes of the strobe lights, the Dad calls for his son who - not as a teen, but as a toddler, takes his first steps towards him. Another flash, and the Dad holds his newborn son bundled tightly in his arms.. The music becomes a bridge between memory and love, between then and now. 

The scene shifts back to the present day, as Labrinth’s newly reimagined version of the track echoes softly. The Dad is in the living room when his son comes down the stairs and catches him enjoying his gift. The son looks on, slightly embarrassed, until his Dad pulls him an embrace. They share a quiet, unspoken moment - a wordless "thank you", carrying the weight of "I know we aren’t as close as we used to be but I love you.”

The advert will launch on Tuesday 4th November on Channel at 8pm during Great British Bake Off. 

Alongside the film, social created by Saatchi & Saatchi pulls back the curtain with bespoke behind-the-scenes snippets from the making of the campaign. Bespoke executions for OOH, print, digital and radio also launch on 4th November, and feature hero gifting products from partners including Oura, De’Longhi, Dyson and Shark.

Additionally, Rough Trade at John Lewis will exclusively stock a vinyl record of “Where Love Lives”. Side A of the vinyl treats music fans to Alison’s iconic original version, while Side B presents globally acclaimed artist and producer Labrinth’s beautiful, newly reimagined version also featured in the film.

All John Lewis profits from the £14.99 limited-edition vinyl record will support the John Lewis Partnership’s Building Happier Futures programme, which helps people build brighter futures.

Franki Goodwin, Chief Creative Officer at Saatchi & Saatchi, said: “Music is always the beating heart of the John Lewis campaign at Christmas but this year it’s the gift itself. The campaign poignantly explores the power of a gift to communicate something we might not be able to put into words. A banger on many levels in many channels, I hope it inspires lots of thoughtful, expressive gifting and some family trawls through old playlists on Christmas Day too!”

Rosie Hanley, Director of Brand for John Lewis said: “This year’s John Lewis Christmas campaign is a celebration of connection, memory, and the unspoken emotions that make the season truly magical. At John Lewis, we understand the power of a thoughtful gift, and we hope the Ad will inspire our customers to find the gift that articulates their feelings, allowing the present itself to speak volumes where words may sometimes fall short.”

Alison Limerick said: "I squealed when I heard that 'Where Loves Lives' would be in the advert - literally squealed like an excited child. Music has always had the power to bring all kinds of peeps together, but I hope this year's John Lewis Christmas advert will give those who see it a new, emotional connection with the song - especially with what Labrinth has created. His gentle version is just so beautiful; it’s sure to fill the heart with love.”

Labrinth said: "To think a boy like me from East London Hackney, who grew up watching this iconic advert would one day reimagine a classic and compose a piece of music for John Lewis’s forward thinking direction is a big deal for me. This advert is embedded in British Christmas culture and I miss home, so I’m honoured to be a part of it.”

Credits

Client: John Lewis

Director of Brand - Rosie Hanley
Brand Marketing Lead: Amy Tippen-Smith

Senior Brand Marketing Manager: Carolyn Timberlake

Brand Marketing Manager: Laura Masters 

Brand Marketing Senior Executive: Holly Graham

Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi

CCO: Franki Goodwin

ECD: Will John

Creative Director: Brodie King

Associate Creative Directors: Pete Ioulianou & Ollie Agius

Creatives: Paddy Fraser, Brodie King, Pete Ioulianou & Ollie Agius

Group Creative Director (Amplification): Caroline Paris

Creatives (Amplification & Supplier Funded): Molly Ohayan & Issie Peach

Creative (Gifting Stills): Will Blackburn

Designers: Kevin Hipke, Shane Horn

CPO: Jess Ringshall

Executive Production Director: Sam Robinson

Executive Producer: Rose Reynolds

Senior Integrated Producer (Gifting Stills): Zan Stepien

Integrated Producer (Supplier Funded): Izzy Woods

Production Assistant: Rita Aboderin

Exec Strategy Director: Emily Lewis-Keane

Planning Director: Polly Whitton

Planner: Elena Georgiou, Phoebe Lyons

Group Managing Partner: Alice Kassapian

Business Leader: Isaac Hickinbottom

Account Director: Jack Steer, James Hall

Account Manager: Mirta Esara

Head of Business Affairs: Charlotte Fisher

Business Affairs Manager: Liz Staley

Media: OMD Manning Gottlieb

Campaign & Hero TV Ad: 

Flora Williams (Exec Director)

Gerry Ridgway (Exec Director) 

Duncan Timlin (Business Director)

Mel Nixon (Business Director) 

Tabitha Rosenfeld (Account Director) 

Rosie Wishart (Effectiveness Lead)

Sophia Nall (Programmatic Director) 

Andrew Matsoukis (AV Director) 

Gifting incl. Plat, SF and BF: 

Fran Lucas (Account Manager)

Logan McJannet (Snr Account Exec)

Ruby Probert (Account Exec)

Lucy Miles (Social Manager) 

Lakshay Bhatia (Programmatic Manager) 

Charlie Wingfield-Jones (OOH Director) 

Amplification:

Chris Evans (Managing Partner) 

Tamara Cross (Chief Creative Officer) 

Will Selwyn (Creative Director)

Chloe Jukes (Partnerships Director)

Production Company: Iconoclast

Director: Jonathan Alric

Director (Supplier Funded): Nogari

Managing Director / EP: Guy Rolfe and Jean Mougin

Head of Production: Beatrice Warren

Producer: Jane Lloyd

Production Manager: Lucy Banks 

Production Manager (Supplier Funded): Tabetha Glass Jackman

Production Coordinator: Rob Rogan

Production Assistants: Chriolles Khalil and Andre Wooz

1st AD: Ben Gill

DOP: Shabier Kirchner

Production Designer: Robin Brown

Costume Designer: Hannah Edwards

HMU Designer: Eve Coles

Casting Director: Coralie Rose

Location Manager: Hugo Smith Bingham

Gaffer: Dave Smith

Prop Masters: Jed Evans and Matt Marsden

Edit: TRIM

Editor: Tom Lindsay

Edit Assistant: Nanako Kawasaki 

EP: Noreen Khan

Producer: Polly Kemp

Supplier Funded Editor: James Forbes-Robertson

Supplier Funded Assistant Editor: Magda Plugowska

Colour: Company3

Colourist: Matthieu Toullet

Colour Producer: Chris Anthony

EP - Ellora Soret

Post: Selected Works

Executive Producer: Alex Fitzgerald

Head of Production: Dan Crozier

Creative Director: Greg Spencer

Compositing: Owen Maiden

DMP: Lyndall Spagnoletti

Production Assistant: Beatriz de Carvalho

Shoot Attend: Austen Humphries

Post (Supplier Funded): Harbor

Colourist: Toby Tomkins

2D Artist: Hani AlYousif 

Producer: Sarah Maerz

Music: Wake The Town

Music Supervisor: Dom Bastyra

Sound: 750MPH

Head of Production: Olivia Ray 

Sound Engineer: Sam Ashwell 

Sound Engineer: Jake Ashwell

Producer: Aishah Amodu 

Vinyl Design: ILOVEDUST

Lead Animator/Designer: Joanna Maflin

Art Director: Greg Wade

Animator/Designer: Ellie Mason

Designer: Louis Bradder
Project Manager: Amy McCarthy

Stills: Prodigious

Photographer: Benedict Morgan

Set Designer: Andrew Stellitano

Executive Producer: Rachel Wickham

Junior Producer: Farah Ikhlas 

Studio Project Director - Stephanie Wood

Artworkers: Katie Luong, Steve McFarlane, Bruce Wallace, Paul Jeffreys  

Head of Retouching - Kirsten Howe

Retouchers - Gareth Ling and James Wootton

Head of Design - James Crickmore

Designer – Kumal Shah