It’s that point of yr once more. The John Lewis Christmas advert has dropped – a bit sooner than normal – and with it, the annual debate over whether or not the retailer has rekindled its emotional magic or misplaced its festive sparkle.
This yr’s advert, “The place Love Lives,” created by Saatchi & Saatchi, tells the story of a father and son whose relationship is rekindled via a easy, significant present – a vinyl document. The second the dad unwraps it, he’s transported again to his clubbing days within the Nineteen Nineties, set to Alison Limerick’s iconic home anthem of the identical identify.
There’s no dialogue, simply emotion – nostalgia, heat, and connection – all packaged in a manner that’s unmistakably John Lewis.
Again To The place It All Started
For years, John Lewis advertisements have set the gold commonplace in emotional storytelling, making a seasonal benchmark that manufacturers throughout the UK and past have tried to match.
In a previous article, I explored how the retailer’s genius lies not simply in storytelling however in memory-triggering. From “The Lengthy Wait” (2011) to “Monty the Penguin” (2014), John Lewis used acquainted emotional cues – childhood surprise, household connection, bittersweet reflection – to make customers really feel first and suppose later.
The problem has at all times been to maintain that emotional formulation contemporary. In 2018 and 2019, John Lewis pushed the boundaries with Elton John’s “The Boy” and the “Piano and Excitable Edgar,” each of which leaned closely on music and spectacle. In 2019, the dragon-themed fantasy succeeded as a result of it balanced creativity with clear product storytelling – one thing many rivals did not do.
However not yearly was a success. In their 2022 campaign, regardless of its heart-in-the-right-place message about foster care, I assumed it missed the mark emotionally. It felt like trigger advertising carrying a Christmas jumper – well-intentioned, however tonally off for the season.
This yr’s marketing campaign, “The place Love Lives,” appears to have discovered from each extremes. It has the emotional depth of “The Lengthy Wait” and “Monty the Penguin,” however with a extra grounded, relatable story – a dad, a son, a document, and a shared second.
When Nostalgia Meets Knowledge
In response to DAIVID, “The place Love Lives” is probably the most emotionally partaking John Lewis Christmas advert since 2016’s “Buster the Boxer.”
The numbers inform the story:
- 55.8% of viewers skilled intense optimistic feelings – 15% increased than the typical advert.
- The advert was twice as doubtless to generate emotions of heat (+124%), gratitude (+106%), and pleasure (+100%).
- Nostalgia ranges ran 34% above the norm.
That mixture of metrics would make even probably the most data-skeptical marketer take discover. And it reveals how far emotional intelligence in promoting has advanced – not simply as an artwork, however as a measurable science.
DAIVID’s AI testing blends facial coding, eye monitoring, and survey knowledge to foretell emotional response and a focus. That’s a great distance from the intestine reactions we entrepreneurs as soon as relied on.
“John Lewis has lengthy set the benchmark for emotional storytelling,” mentioned Ian Forrester, DAIVID’s CEO. “‘The place Love Lives’ is a really worthy addition to their much-celebrated catalogue, producing probably the most intense optimistic response since 2016.”
Classes From The Knowledge: Emotion Nonetheless Wins
Emotion has at all times been the north star of John Lewis promoting. However because the retail panorama modifications, so too should the way in which emotion is harnessed.
In 2023 and 2024, many Christmas advertisements throughout Europe pivoted towards humor, celeb, or pure product focus – reflecting an period of financial nervousness the place manufacturers wished to “cheer up” reasonably than “choke up” audiences. However “The place Love Lives” swims towards that present.
By returning to the emotional simplicity of household connection and the shared nostalgia of music, John Lewis proves that emotion nonetheless drives engagement, even in unsure occasions.
Entrepreneurs can draw a number of tactical insights right here:
- Nostalgia is cyclical, not static. Every era rediscovers its personal previous. The Nineteen Nineties are actually far sufficient away to evoke fondness, not fatigue – a lesson in timing for manufacturers selecting which cultural eras to revisit.
- Emotional storytelling scales greatest when it’s common. You don’t want speaking penguins or dragons; you want a human fact. The daddy-son connection in “The place Love Lives” transcends demographics and markets.
- Music is reminiscence’s accelerant. The soundtrack isn’t only a backdrop; it’s a strategic asset. Limerick’s “The place Love Lives” bridges generations – immediately recognizable to Gen X mother and father, contemporary to Gen Z listeners.
The Imperfect However Essential Metrics
Regardless of its emotional energy, DAIVID’s testing discovered a weak spot: behavioral intent. Viewers had been barely much less doubtless to advocate the model, purchase a product, or share the video than common.
That’s not essentially a failure – it’s a reminder that emotional engagement and behavioral conversion aren’t the identical factor.
From a advertising technique perspective, that disconnect underscores a fact I explored years in the past: John Lewis’s advertisements have at all times prioritized model fairness over short-term gross sales. They goal to strengthen belief, heat, and loyalty – qualities that repay over time, even when they don’t present up instantly in This fall income.
If something, this yr’s knowledge suggests John Lewis is doubling down on brand-building throughout a cost-of-living disaster – a daring however good transfer. Emotional resonance could not promote a settee tomorrow, nevertheless it retains the model prime of thoughts when customers are prepared to purchase once more.
AI Confirms What Our Hearts Already Knew
We’ve formally reached an enchanting second: when AI agrees with human instinct about what strikes individuals.
For years, advert testing relied on subjective panels or small samples. Now, with platforms like DAIVID analyzing hundreds of thousands of facial expressions and gaze patterns, entrepreneurs can quantify what “heartwarming” actually means.
That’s a giant shift for inventive technique. It permits advertisers to validate instinct-driven concepts – not exchange them. AI didn’t write “The place Love Lives”; it simply confirmed what good storytellers already knew: emotion works.
The larger pattern right here is how AI-driven inventive measurement is reshaping the promoting business. From YouTube’s Model Raise research to Meta’s Artistic Professional, each main platform is racing to attach emotional response with return on funding (ROI). John Lewis simply occurs to be offering the proper annual case research.
Why It Nonetheless Works
Regardless of its slight dip in motion metrics, “The place Love Lives” hits all the fitting nostalgic notes. It’s a narrative about reconnection, love, and shared recollections – and it does so via a soundtrack that brings a whole era again to the dance flooring.
By buying and selling in speaking animals for emotional realism, John Lewis is doubling down on what made its early campaigns iconic: genuine human connection.
For a model that has generally struggled to stability sentiment with gross sales, this yr’s spot appears like a assured return to type – each emotionally and strategically.
Remaining Verdict
After a number of uneven years, John Lewis has lastly discovered its rhythm once more – actually and emotionally.
“The place Love Lives” is probably not the retailer’s most shareable advert, nevertheless it’s definitely its most heartfelt in years. It’s proof that when nostalgia meets real storytelling – and when AI validates what audiences really feel of their hearts – that’s the place love actually lives.
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Featured Picture: KinoMasterskaya/Shutterstock
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