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.
John Lewis & Partners launched their first Christmas advert in 2007. It has since become something of an annual tradition in the UK, and one of the signals that the countdown to Christmas has begun. The adverts tend to attract widespread media coverage and acclaim upon their release. 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.
Ellie Goulding
Elena Jane Goulding ( ; born 30 December 1986) is an English singer and songwriter. Her career began when she met record producers Starsmith and Frankmusik, and she was later spotted by Jamie Lillywhite, who became her manager and Artists and ...
,
Gabrielle Aplin,
Lily Allen,
Aurora,
Tom Odell and
Vaults are among the artists whose music has appeared in a John Lewis Christmas advert. In 2018, Sir
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
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.
London-based agency Adam & Eve/DDB have conceived the adverts since 2009.
The adverts have led to some fierce competition, most notably from
Sainsbury's,
Marks & Spencer and
Boots.
Campaigns
Official singles
:1. Released before 2018 Christmas advert.
:2. Released before 2022 Christmas advert.
Awards
John Lewis was honoured at the 2012 IPA Effectiveness Awards for their campaigns up to that point. They were awarded the top prize which is awarded to companies "showcasing and rewarding campaigns that demonstrate their marketing payback".
References
External links
*{{official website, https://www.johnlewis.com
John Lewis TV Advert Music
Advertising campaigns
British television commercials
Christmas in the United Kingdom
John Lewis Partnership