‘John Lewis ad has started a conversation, but I’m not sold just yet’

John Lewis has fired the gun on the golden quarter advertising race. It’s a wise move for the retailer to get things going early this year – its direct competitors are in a strong position and John Lewis needs to make the brand feel more meaningful and relevant to more people.

We know the power that predisposing more people to shop with you can have on boosting sales.

It also has first-mover advantage, reinforcing John Lewis’ dominant status when it comes to advertising in this quarter. But, with the competition in retail as fierce as it is and consumer confidence wobbling, nailing the execution is key.

Does the ad do that? Not completely.

“The ad doesn’t bring its meaning to life instantly or coherently. Our brains are lazy; people rarely work at figuring out what advertising content means”

It tries to give meaning to the relaunched Never Knowingly Undersold tagline. It’s important that brands don’t assume that consumers are familiar with their assets, and Kantar data shows the almost 100-year-old slogan isn’t universally known or understood. 

The ad doesn’t bring its meaning to life instantly or coherently. Our brains are lazy; people rarely work at figuring out what advertising content means and this spot leaves them a bit too much to do.

Other touchpoints and future ads will need to do more of the heavy lifting. There’s a lot to like about the ‘10 things we know’ content that has been shared with customers by email marketing, for example, and making more of this could be a good place to start.

Above all else, good advertising should be easily connected to the brand it represents and hammer home in a creative and memorable way what sets it apart.

In that vein, it was great to see John Lewis return to its roots by diving into the archives. The in-store experience is one of its most differentiating brand attributes, so putting this front and centre is a clever choice.

It’s now maximising this by installing displays in its real store windows that represent the eras featured in the ad.

“Emotional storytelling is another defining feature of the John Lewis brand and it’s never more important than in the run-up to Christmas”

As the campaign develops, I’d like to see the next ads focus more on giving people tangible reasons to reconsider John Lewis, including ’inspiring shoppers’. This is a value that has been integral to its identity and something that we know resonates with consumers.

Emotional storytelling is another defining feature of the John Lewis brand and, while it matters in advertising all year round, it’s never more important than in the run-up to Christmas.

For me, this ad lacks the emotive punch of previous John Lewis ads like ‘Always a Woman’. The individually emotive vignettes could have been stronger on making their connections back to the brand, and the thoughts and feelings it wants people to be left with more intuitive.

Last year’s festive campaigns set the bar especially high on brand-centricity. They leaned into humour, but still anchored themselves in human insight and kept the festive feelgood factor the British public looks forward to.

Brands will need to remember those lessons and ensure they’re putting their media money behind effective creative to be successful this year.

It’s a lot of scrutiny for a 90-second advert, but the fact that we’re still talking about John Lewis is testament to its influence.

The ad has started the conversation on what it means to live ‘knowingly’, even if it hasn’t given all the answers.

As it continues to roll out the campaign, John Lewis will need to make it easier for people to understand what it is trying to say.

There’s still a lot of love for the John Lewis brand and people generally want it to succeed. As a retail watcher, it’s a fascinating journey to follow. As for this ad, I’m not sold just yet.