
John Lewis Celebrates 100 Years Of Never Knowingly Undersold
A new film created by Saatchi & Saatchi includes Easter eggs to past films
04 September 2025
Marking 100 years since John Lewis’s famous ‘Never Knowingly Undersold’ promise was introduced, Saatchi & Saatchi has unveiled a new campaign, Tableau, celebrating the integral role the brand plays in modern British life.
The campaign leads with a hero 100-second film which, shot at 100 frames per second, feels like a moving piece of art, and captures the 100 years of culture that John Lewis has shaped in one riotous and non-chronological sequence. Directed by Kim Gehrig and set to an original cover of The Beat Goes On by Mike Skinner, the film is an ode to Britain, and captures a rich tapestry of stages, settings and scenes, all built from John Lewis products from both the archive, continuity and new season. The piece ends with a striking composition inspired by the work of Pieter Bruegel, capturing the set in its entirety, just as Bruegel captured worlds in a single canvas.
The timeless celebration sets dancers from the roaring twenties alongside modern day new parents and bakers and style mavens in a raucous mash up of British life. Showing that just like its brand promise, John Lewis is as relevant to modern Britain’s today and future as it has always been.
The spot draws from the extensive John Lewis archives, to celebrate the products, people and cultural moments John Lewis has shaped across the century. Featuring 100 actors and 100 ionic products, the film draws directly from the magazine’s historic issues to spotlight 100 unique beauty and style moments, including the rise of men’s grooming in its 1989 ‘New Man’ issue, and the early-2000s revival of the nostalgic lava lamp, as captured in a 2001 issue. Every current product featured such as the new Dyson Air Wrap and new exclusive to John Lewis Dyson headphones can be shopped in real time online.
The work is also woven with Easter Eggs from past creative campaigns, with adverts from years gone by playing on a stack of television sets taken from different decades, including homage to the classic John Lewis partner service in the form of a nursery advisor in the 1950s. Alongside honouring the past, the contemporary-style film - which steps outside of the narrative by ending with a panned-out shot of the set in full - also looks to the future, and showcases the brand’s enduring role in shaping the way Britain celebrates everyday life.
The spot is set to an original sync of The Beat Goes On (Sonny & Cher, 1967) by Mike Skinner, bringing a modern social commentary to familiar lyrics that explore the passing of time, while also pointing to the future.
The film will also run as 60-second, 30-second and 10-second edits, with the 60-second ad running in key programming across ITV, Channel 4 and Sky.
A custom social media campaign - unfolding across TikTok and Instagram - spotlights the central themes of Style, Beauty, Tech, and Home. Tied together by John Lewis’ enduring message of "now then and always," the custom social highlights the evolution of products with a timeless appeal and celebrates small but defining moments of everyday British life - from the iconic make-up of the 1990s to the must-have mug for your 2025 tea ritual.
Rosie Hanley, Brand Director, John Lewis Partnership, said: “It’s been 100 years since our brand promise, Never Knowingly Undersold on quality service and price, was introduced- a distinctive promise to our customers that is woven into our heritage. This campaign is a celebration of that enduring commitment. The incredible artistry and bold production of the film, featuring 100 products and a brilliant modern soundtrack from Mike Skinner, beautifully captures John Lewis’s role in the fabric of British life from car boot picnics to festivals and fetes. This is a fully integrated campaign which was made possible by working with our fearless partners to honour our past while setting the stage for the future of John Lewis”
Franki Goodwin, Chief Creative Officer, Saatchi & Saatchi, said: “John Lewis and the Never Knowingly Undersold promise has been a beacon of aspirational British life since 1925. As a part of the fabric of our culture we wanted to weave something wild and wonderful together that celebrated every first pram, wedding list, party dress, tea cup, side table, toy and toaster that’s made the last 100 years so very ‘us’. A hugely ambitious integrated production and true collaboration with our brave and brilliant client partners.”
Credits
CAMPAIGN TITLE: Tableau
CLIENT: John Lewis
MANAGING DIRECTOR: Peter Ruis
MARKETING DIRECTOR: Rosie Hanley
BRAND MARKETING LEAD: Amy Tippen-Smith
SENIOR MARKETING CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Emma Rule
BRAND MARKETING MANAGER: Nicole Gibson-Linnett
ADVERTISING AGENCY: Saatchi & Saatchi
CCO: Franki Goodwin
CPO: Jessica Ringshall
EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Will John
GROUP CREATIVE DIRECTOR (SOCIAL): Caroline Paris
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Brodie King
SENIOR CREATIVE: George Coyle
SENIOR CREATIVE: Sam Simmonds
SENIOR CREATIVE : Sam Oliver
HEAD OF PLANNING: Emily Lewis-Keane
PLANNING DIRECTOR: Polly Whitton
PLANNER: Elena Georgiou
GROUP MANAGING PARTNER: Alice Kassapian
BUSINESS LEAD: Isaac Hickinbottom
ACCOUNT MANAGER: James Hall
EXECUTIVE PRODUCTION DIRECTOR: Sam Robinson
SENIOR INTEGRATED PRODUCER: Lizzie Mabbott
INTEGRATED PRODUCER (SOCIAL): Izzy Woods
SENIOR INTEGRATED PRODUCER (OOH): Zaneta Stapien
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT: Rita Aboderin
HEAD OF BUSINESS AFFAIRS: Charlotte Fisher
BUSINESS AFFAIRS MANAGER: Liz Staley & Dan McPhilimey
MEDIA AGENCY: OMD Manning Gottlieb
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Geraldine Ridgway
CLIENT BUSINESS DIRECTOR: Duncan Timlin
CLIENT ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Taylor Cao
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HEAD OF PLANNING: Flora Williams
PLANNING BUSINESS DIRECTOR: Alyssa Heritier
HEAD OF DIGITAL: Danielle Matthee
DIGITAL BUSINESS DIRECTOR: Toby Hawkins
AV DIRECTOR: Andrew Matsoukis
SOCIAL BUSINESS DIRECTOR: Elizabeth Papadimitri
PROGRAMMATIC MANAGER: Lakshay Bhatia
OOH MANAGER (TALON): Matt Hill
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Somesuch
DIRECTOR: Kim Gehrig
MD/ EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Tash Tan
PRODUCER: Jacob Swan Hyam
PRODUCTION MANAGER: Fatima Zaman
DOP: Philippe Le Sourd
PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Mark Connell
COSTUME DESIGNER: Ameena Kara Callender
CASTING: Road Casting
POST-PRODUCTION COMPANY: Selected Works
VFX Creative Director & Shoot Supervisor - Francois Roisin
VFX Supervisor - Pete Hodsman
VFX Shoot Supervisor - Amber Frisenda
Production
EP - Alex Fitzgerald
Senior VFX Producer - Will Howland & Lou Cherry
PA - Noa Vuagniaux & Matthew Steven
2D
Compositor – Pete Hodsman
Compositor – Rich Roberts
Compositor - Wes
Compositor - Greg Spencer
Compositor - Maheshwaran Chandrasekaran
Compositor - Olivia Wang
Compositor - Sam Hencher
Compositor - Gianluca Di Marco
Compositor - Jan Glockner
3D
3D Artist - Luke Frampton
3D Artist - Sarah Hiley
3D Artist - Matthias Tatge
3D Artist - Mickey O'Donoghue
DMP
Lead DMP Artist - Amber Frisenda
DMP- Jordan Haynes
ONLINE
Online Artist - Owen Maiden
Online Artist - Emma King
DATA
Data Op: Man Lok Li
Data Op: Henry White
POST-PRODUCTION COMPANY: Trafik
COLOURIST : Ricky Gausis
COLOUR PRODUCER: Hugh Copeland
EDITING COMPANY: Trim
Editors: Tom Lindsay & Jacques Simon
Assistant: Lucy Brown
EP: Noreen Khan
Producer: Tatyana Alexandra
SOUND HOUSE: 750MPH
SOUND DESIGN: Sam Ashwell, Jake Ashwell
SOUND MIX : Sam Ashwell
HEAD OF PRODUCTION: Olivia Ray
MUSIC : Wake The Town
MUSIC SUPERVISOR: Dom Bastyra
MUSIC: Soundtree
Music Supervision : Jay James, Colin Mcllhagga, Oak McMahon
Music Editor : Luke Fabia
Soundtree CCO : Peter Raeburn
Soundtree Senior Producer : Neil Athale
Soundtree MD : Jay James
SOCIAL
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Somesuch
Directors: Lydia Garnett & Stephan Moni
Executive Producer: Jess Bell
Producer: Elliot Zelmanovits
DOP: Jake Hunter
EDIT HOUSE:
Editor: Deri Watt
POST PRODUCTION COMPANY: Harbor
SOUND DESIGN: Rachel Scott
PRODUCER: Ornela Peka
COLOURIST: Mara Ciorba
PRODUCER: Abi Klimaszewska
OOH
POST PRODUCTION COMPANY: Prodigious