John Lewis and Tom Davis Help The Nation's Gifting Game

'The Honest Dad Unboxing’ advises on the best presents for this Father's Day

By Creative Salon

09 June 2026

Ahead of Father’s Day (21 June), John Lewis and Saatchi & Saatchi have launched ‘The Honest Dad Unboxing’, a new social-first campaign designed to help the nation become better gifters and put an end to disappointing ‘dad-tat’.

Following on from John Lewis’ Mother’s Day work with Daisy May Cooper, the six-part content series stars actor, comedian and dad Tom Davis, who brings his trademark dry wit to a series of unfiltered gift reactions. Built on the insight that Father’s Day is full of well-meaning but often underwhelming presents, the campaign taps into a familiar tension: dads say they don’t want anything, whilst secretly hoping for something good.

The campaign spotlights John Lewis as the destination for more thoughtful gifting all year round, helping shoppers find the gifts dads will genuinely value.

In the series, Tom opens a range of Father’s Day presents, all of which are available to buy in John Lewis, including a FIFA World Cup™ LEGO set “for a fully grown man”, a portable BBQ , New Balance trainers, a Nespresso coffee machine, “proper-nice” Tom Ford fragrance that shows “someone’s family loves them”, and Clinique skincare, which Tom jokes he usually “steals from his wife.”

Tom Davis, Actor and Comedian, said: “As a Dad myself, I obviously look forward to Father’s Day but there’s only so much No.1 dad merch I can face. To help the Dad’s out there get the gifts they really want, I was more than happy to join forces with John Lewis for their honest unboxing. Meant I could drop a couple of hints myself eh?”

Rosie Hanley, Brand Director at John Lewis, said: “Despite everyone’s best intentions, Father’s Day is often beset by low-effort gifting, with many still struggling for inspiration when it matters. At John Lewis, we believe great gifting is about more than just the product – it’s about finding something that genuinely reflects the person you’re buying for. We’re focused on making it easier to find truly thoughtful, quality gifts, and our campaign with Tom Davis taps into his trademark comedy and honesty, to show that with the right inspiration, meaningful gifting doesn’t have to be difficult.”

Caroline Paris, Head of Creative, Saatchi & Saatchi, said: “Father’s Day has become a minefield of questionable presents, because apparently every dad wants a “Best Dad trophy", hot sauce, or a gadget he’ll use exactly once. That gave us a relatable space to play in. With Tom Davis at the centre of the campaign, we created something funny, honest and reassuringly unpolished, gently steering people towards presents Dad might actually want this Father’s Day.”

The campaign, which comprises six pieces of video content, will run from 8 June across paid and organic social, including YouTube, Meta and Reddit, until Father’s Day.

Credits:

CAMPAIGN TITLE: Tom Davis on Father’s Day

CLIENT: John Lewis

CHIEF CUSTOMER OFFICER: Anna Braithwaite

BRAND DIRECTOR: Rosie Hanley

BRAND MARKETING LEAD: Amy Tippen-Smith

SENIOR MARKETING CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Emma Rule

SNR MARKETING BRAND EXECUTIVE: Allie Baker

ADVERTISING AGENCY: Saatchi & Saatchi

CCO: Franki Goodwin

CPO: Jessica Ringshall

HEAD OF INTEGRATED CREATIVE: Caroline Paris