John Lewis Christmas advert

John Lewis Christmas advert
Screenshot of the 2022 advertisement
AgencyAdamandEveDDB (2019-2022)
Saatchi and Saatchi (2023)
ClientJohn Lewis & Partners
Waitrose & Partners
LanguageEnglish
MediaTelevision
Running time1:30
Release date(s)9 November 2023 (2023-11-09)
CountryUnited Kingdom
Preceded byThe Beginner
Official websiteOfficial Site

The John Lewis Christmas advert is an ongoing television advertising campaign released by British department store chain John Lewis & Partners in the build-up to Christmas.[1] John Lewis & Partners launched their first Christmas advert in 2007. It has since become something of an annual tradition in the UK,[2] and one of the signals that the countdown to Christmas has begun.[3][4][5] The adverts tend to attract widespread media coverage and acclaim upon their release.[6] Between 2019 and 2020, the advert has promoted both John Lewis & Partners and Waitrose & Partners.

The songs used in the advertising campaigns are frequently covers (excluding 2018 and 2020) of existing songs by different artists. They have often reached high positions on the UK Singles Chart, and the original versions often receive a sales boost.[7][8] Ellie Goulding, Gabrielle Aplin, Lily Allen, Aurora, Tom Odell and Vaults are among the artists whose music has appeared in a John Lewis Christmas advert.[9][10] In 2018, Sir Elton John became the first artist to perform and star in the advert. In 2021, Lola Young was chosen to cover the 1980s hit "Together in Electric Dreams", with a slowed down arrangement which had alt-folk duo the Portraits accusing the retailer of copying them and their version of the song recorded in 2020.[11]

London-based agency Adam & Eve/DDB have conceived the adverts since 2009.[12] But Saatchi and Saatchi have recently taken on responsibility for the retailer's advertising. The adverts have led to some fierce competition, most notably from Sainsbury's, Marks & Spencer and Boots.[13]

  1. ^ "Monty's Christmas" (Press release). John Lewis Partnership. 6 November 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  2. ^ Wallop, Harry (5 November 2014). "John Lewis adverts from Christmas past". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  3. ^ Stone, Jason (12 November 2013). "John Lewis Christmas ads: how they evolved from 2007 to 2013". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  4. ^ Sherwin, Adam (6 November 2014). "John Lewis Christmas advert: It's sickly, sweet and surprisingly potent". The Independent. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  5. ^ Wallop, Harry (6 November 2014). "It's funny how John Lewis Christmas Advert is now part of our Christmas countdown". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  6. ^ Hobbs, Thomas (10 November 2016). "The John Lewis Christmas ad: Marketers react". Marketing Week. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  7. ^ Welsh, Daniel (6 November 2014). "John Lewis Christmas advert 2014: Best and Funniest Twitter Reactions to #MontyThePenguin". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  8. ^ Cheetham, Joshua (10 November 2017). "Christmas ad spend 'to hit record high'". BBC News. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  9. ^ "Sob! All the John Lewis Christmas adverts. Which one is your favourite?". Now. 6 November 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  10. ^ Wallop, Harry (6 November 2014). "7 Things You Need to Know About the John Lewis Christmas Advert 2014". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  11. ^ "John Lewis accused of copying arrangement of Electric Dreams for Christmas ad". TheGuardian.com. 11 November 2021.
  12. ^ "World's most creative partnerships: John Lewis & Adam & Eve/DDB". Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  13. ^ "The best Christmas 2016 adverts". The Telegraph. Retrieved 20 December 2016.