John Lewis Christmas advert doesn’t star any men

Viewers follow protagonist Sally through several family memories as retailer puts women at the heart of its festive campaign

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John Lewis is putting women at the heart of its Christmas campaign with an advert which does not star any men.
This year’s advert takes viewers through a number of family memories of Sally, its protagonist, but does not focus on men in any of the scenes depicted.
This year’s advert features Sally, an elder sister, rushing into the retailer’s Oxford Street store in central London 15 minutes before it closes to find her younger sister a present.
Sources pointed out that there are men in the background of the advert.
Riffling through a clothes rail of dresses, she stumbles through a Narnia-style wardrobe into an attic, where a younger version of her sister is waiting.
Viewers are then taken through a number of the sisters’ memories, including the birth of a son, dancing with their mother in the kitchen and walking in on teenagers kissing.
The background dissolves to black with Sally and her sister ice-skating in front of a large pile of presents. She is then catapulted onto a floral sofa with the youngest version of her sister, who whispers in her ear.
Sally emerges back into the shop holding a wrapped gift and finds a present-day version of her sister outside. As the camera pans away, the youngest version of her sister is seen in the shop window.
The shop-based scenes were filmed in the Oxford Street store on a Sunday night in October, with film crews moving in as the final shoppers left, and finishing before 7am to maintain secrecy about the advert.
Charlotte Lock, customer director for John Lewis, said: “Our shops are the beating heart of our brand and 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.”
It is the second year that advertising company Saatchi & Saatchi, best known for the Thatcher-era “Labour Isn’t working” poster, has been responsible for the advert.
Franki Goodwin, chief creative officer at Saatchi & Saatchi, said: “We’ve all been there – time’s running out, and you’re still looking for the perfect gift for someone in your life who’s impossible to shop for. That’s why I believe viewers will truly connect with our heroine.”
The high street has continued to struggle as more shoppers move online. Footfall was down by 3.6 per cent in the year to October, and there have been more then 65,000 closures, according to consultants Altus Group, the majority of which were small, independent retailers.
John Lewis has had a difficult year. It scrapped its chief executive position last month after Nish Kankiwala and chairman, Dame Sharon White, stepped down. Losses narrowed to £30 million in the six months to the end of July, having been double that the year before, as it battled to regain momentum.
The family-focused advert marks a departure from the cartoon characters that have featured in several John Lewis Christmas adverts previously, including “Snapper”, a venus flytrap that replaced the traditional festive tree in the 2023 rendition.
After sales of the toy based on “Edgar”, the dragon character in the 2019 advert, meant that shops ran out of stock, John Lewis bosses ordered 15 per cent more of the “Snapper” toys.
But staff members said that they were giving the toys away for free to children and those spending more than £50, after the venus flytrap toys failed to capture the imagination of shoppers. The retailer said the £18 toys had proved popular.
John Lewis is also running a TikTok competition to find a cover star for the music backing the advert. It is currently using the original version of the Verve’s Sonnet, but the winner will record with Richard Ashcroft for a special Christmas edition.
Previous musical accompaniments have included Lily Allen’s Somewhere Only We Know, Bastille’s cover of Can’t Fight This Feeling and Ellie Goulding singing Your Song.