John Lewis Christmas advert this year tells tale of two sisters

Throughout the years, John Lewis has showcased a variety of charming characters in its Christmas commercials. However, this year, the company is pulling at our emotions with a story inspired by Narnia, focusing on two sisters. For the first time, this narrative highlights the challenges faced by its struggling department stores as a central theme.

Following last year's playful advertisement with a mischievous Venus flytrap, this year's commercial takes a different direction. Shot in the well-known John Lewis store on Oxford Street in London, it comes at a time when traditional retail is struggling. This time, the focus is genuinely on the experience of Christmas shopping, completely free of any charming penguins or snowmen.

The story is much more conventional compared to earlier quirky favorites like the melancholic story of a solitary man on the moon. This one revolves around a woman rushing to find the ideal present for her sister at the last moment. However, there's still an element of enchantment: similar to the children in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, she weaves through a display of dresses and is transported into a realm filled with memories that offer snapshots of her sister's childhood and, importantly, spark inspiration for her gift.

Amid the current wave of 1990s nostalgia, the advertisement features Richard Ashcroft’s indie hit "Sonnet." Ashcroft’s popularity is soaring now that he has been announced as the opening act for Oasis’s reunion tour in 2025.

The Christmas shopping season is a crucial period for many retailers, such as John Lewis, as they generate a significant portion of their yearly earnings during this time.

Although the department store's advertisements have turned into a cultural phenomenon, signaling the start of the holiday shopping rush, there's long been doubt about whether they truly generate significant sales returns. This apprehension intensified after John Lewis experienced three consecutive years of losses. Although the store saw a return to profitability in March, it still refrained from giving employees an annual bonus for the third time in four years.

"The retail environment is challenging right now," remarked retail specialist Catherine Shuttleworth. "After the budget, consumer confidence has taken a hit, and businesses are feeling even more uncertain. Retailers are really hoping for a successful Christmas season because they'll soon face several difficulties stemming from the budget changes."

Major retailers, significant sources of employment, will be significantly affected by the chancellor's choice to raise employer national insurance contributions. Take Tesco, for instance; it's estimated that the company could see its national insurance expenses rise by £1 billion during this parliamentary term.

This all indicates that the competition for your spending money is more intense this Christmas than ever before, as retailers are aware that household finances are tight. To attract customers, it's anticipated that advertisers will invest a record-breaking £10.5 billion during the holiday season. This amount is £760 million higher than last year's figures, based on data from the Advertising Association and WARC.

“This year, Christmas advertisements need to put in extra effort to compete,” explained Shuttleworth, the CEO of Savvy Marketing. “It’s been widely reported that John Lewis has struggled to regain its former charm since the pandemic. We’ve seen changes in leadership, and this ad reflects their approach to returning to their retail roots.”

According to her, John Lewis's role was to excel as a retailer. “The goal is to engage people with the brand, but the top priority is to encourage them to make purchases at John Lewis. It’s not enough for them to simply think, ‘that’s nice.’ It needs to go beyond just a pleasant impression.”

Although some fans might miss the charm of a beloved children's character, Charlotte Lock, the customer director at John Lewis, explained that the ad recognizes department stores as the "core of our brand." She mentioned, "Our customers cherish the tradition of Christmas shopping with us, so we aimed to highlight the store prominently in our advertisement for the first time."

Lock believes that the advertisement captures the current sentiment of the country perfectly. “The John Lewis ad is not just an advertisement,” she explains. “It has become a cultural event. People use it as a way to start conversations about various topics. Our goal is to bring something new and distinctive each year.”

Unlike past John Lewis commercials that featured renditions of popular songs, this year’s ad has the original artist, Ashcroft, performing the track himself. On Friday, he will kick off a contest inviting up-and-coming musicians to create their own renditions of the song from the Verve's 1997 album, Urban Hymns. The winner will have their version showcased in a festive Christmas Day broadcast of the ad and will also see their song released as a charity single.

On Friday, Ashcroft is set to kick off a talent search on John Lewis's TikTok account. The lucky winner will receive a £3,000 shopping spree.