The John Lewis Christmas advert for 2024 has officially arrived and judging by reactions people are a bit confused and disappointed with this year’s effort. Some viewers have been left emotional while others have called it ‘the worst one yet’.
This year the retailer has gone back to basics and concentrated on that time-honoured tradition of the last-minute rush to buy a Christmas present for a loved one. The advert follows Sally, a young woman who is frantically looking for a festive gift for her sister, Lauren. She winds up in John Lewis on Oxford Street, London, fifteen minutes before closing.
While searching for a gift she falls through a rack of tulle dresses and is propelled through a gargantuan wardrobe into her childhood home, Narnia-style, from where she goes on a nostalgic journey through her memories to find the perfect pressie against the clock. On her trip, she meets younger versions of her sister, who changes age throughout the course of the ad. The two eventually reunite outside of the store, as Richard Ashcroft’s acoustic version of The Verve’s “Sonnet” soundtracks the moment and all seems well with the world.
Reactions have been largely mixed to the advert thus far, with one viewer boldly calling it: “Quite comfortably the worst one yet.”
Another person said: “John Lewis ad dropped. Don’t really understand it. Like the song but another miss.”
“John Lewis Christmas ad 5/10… They clawed it back to a 10/10 with The Verve playing in the background,” added a third person, praising the use of the Britpop anthem.
Some did defend John Lewis. One person said: “Family. That’s was it is. But agree no tugging at heartstrings - which I kinda like sometimes it’s good not the play the emotional card.”
“Absolutely was not ready for the John Lewis Christmas advert,” explained one emotional viewer.
Relating to personal experience a third person wrote: “If you have just watched the John Lewis advert and you have sisters you will totally get it…I sobbed.”
The set-up is also a lot more traditional than in previous esoteric favourites such as the sad tale of a lonely man on the moon. It is about a woman’s last-minute dash to buy the perfect gift for her sister. There is still magic: like the children in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, she tips through a rack of dresses into a world of memories that give glimpses of her sister growing up and, crucially, trigger gift ideas.
At a time of peak 1990s nostalgia, the ad is set to Richard Ashcroft’s indie anthem Sonnet. The singer’s stock is riding high after he was confirmed as the support for Oasis’s reunion 2025 tour.
While some fans might feel short-changed without a lovable children’s character to moon over, Charlotte Lock, the customer director for John Lewis, said the ad acknowledged that department stores were the “beating heart of our brand”. “Our customers love the ritual of Christmas shopping there so we wanted to give the store a starring role in our ad for the first time,” she said.
Lock is confident the ad strikes the right note for the mood of the nation. “The John Lewis ad is more than an ad,” she says. “It’s a phenomenon. It’s something people use as a lightning rod to talk about things. We want to show up with something different and fresh every year.”
While previous John Lewis ads used cover versions of famous songs, in another twist it is actually Ashcroft singing this year. However, on Friday he will launch a competition for aspiring musicians to record their version of the song, which appeared on the Verve’s 1997 album Urban Hymns. The winner’s take will feature in a special Christmas Day airing of the advert on TV and be released as a charity single.
Ashcroft will launch the talent search on John Lewis’s TikTok page on Friday. The winner will also bag a £3,000 spending spree.
The Christmas trading period is the all-important time of year when many retailers, including John Lewis, rake in the lion’s share of their annual profits.
But while the department store’s ads have become a national moment, marking the beginning of the festive shopping binge, there has always been a suspicion that they might not deliver a big sales payback. That concern became more acute after John Lewis suffered three years of losses. While it returned to an annual profit in March, it did not pay staff an annual bonus for the third time in four years.
“Times are tough on the high street,” said the retail expert Catherine Shuttleworth. “Consumer confidence is pretty low post-budget and business confidence is even lower. Retailers need a good Christmas because they are about to walk into a load of headwinds as a result of the budget.”
Retailers, which are big employers, will be hit hard by the chancellor’s decision to hike employer national insurance contributions. Tesco, for example, is thought to facing a £1bn increase in its national insurance bill over the course of this parliament.
This all means the battle for the pound in your pocket is fiercer than ever this Christmas because retailers know household budgets remain under pressure. To win custom, advertisers are expected to spend a record £10.5bn over the festive season. This is £760m more than last year, according to the Advertising Association and WARC data.
“This year, the Christmas ads have got to work really hard for the money,” said Shuttleworth, the chief executive of Savvy Marketing. “It’s been well-documented that since Covid, John Lewis has failed to get its mojo back. We’ve seen a change of personnel change at the top and this ad demonstrates their strategy of getting back to retailing.”
John Lewis’s job was to be a fantastic retailer, she said. “They need to get people to connect with the brand but, in connecting with the brand, the number one task is to get them to buy stuff from John Lewis. Not to just think ‘that’s nice’. It’s got to be more than a feeling.”
The Gifting Hour: A New Direction for John Lewis?
The Gifting Hour is a marked departure from previous John Lewis Christmas adverts, which often featured heartwarming stories with a strong emotional pull. This year's advert, however, is more focused on the act of shopping itself. This has sparked a debate among viewers about whether the advert is a missed opportunity or a refreshingly honest approach.
Is The Gifting Hour A Commercial?
Some viewers have criticized The Gifting Hour for being too commercial. They argue that the advert's focus on John Lewis's Oxford Street store detracts from the emotional impact that previous adverts have achieved. They point out that the advert feels more like a promotional campaign for the retailer than a standalone piece of storytelling.
A New Era for John Lewis?
Others, however, see The Gifting Hour as a positive evolution for the John Lewis Christmas advert. They argue that the advert is a reflection of the current economic climate, where consumers are more conscious of value for money and the importance of shopping locally.
The Verdict: A Mixed Bag
Ultimately, The Gifting Hour is a mixed bag. It's certainly different from previous John Lewis Christmas adverts, but it's unclear whether this change is for the better. Only time will tell whether the advert will resonate with viewers and boost John Lewis's sales during the holiday season.
More than Just a Feeling: The Gifting Hour Is About Selling, Not Just Selling Feelings
The John Lewis Christmas advert has always been more than just an advert; it's a cultural phenomenon. It's a moment when people come together to celebrate the festive season and reflect on the things that matter most. But this year, John Lewis is taking a different approach. The Gifting Hour is about selling, not just selling feelings. It's about reminding consumers that John Lewis is a store where they can find everything they need for Christmas. The advert may not be as emotionally resonant as previous efforts, but it's a timely reminder that, even in the age of online shopping, brick and mortar stores still have a place in the hearts of many consumers.
