It’s that point of yr once more. The John Lewis Christmas advert has dropped – a little bit sooner than traditional – 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 by way of a easy, significant reward – a vinyl file. 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 approach that’s unmistakably John Lewis.
Again To The place It All Started
For years, John Lewis advertisements have set the gold customary in emotional storytelling, making a seasonal benchmark that manufacturers throughout the UK and past have tried to match.
In a earlier 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 marvel, household connection, bittersweet reflection – to make shoppers really feel first and assume later.
The problem has at all times been to maintain that emotional system recent. 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 successful. Of their 2022 marketing campaign, regardless of its heart-in-the-right-place message about foster care, I believed it missed the mark emotionally. It felt like trigger advertising sporting a Christmas jumper – well-intentioned, however tonally off for the season.
This yr’s marketing campaign, “The place Love Lives,” appears to have realized 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 file, and a shared second.
When Nostalgia Meets Information
In keeping with DAIVID, “The place Love Lives” is essentially the most emotionally participating 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 common advert.
- The advert was twice as probably 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 essentially the most data-skeptical marketer take discover. And it exhibits how far emotional intelligence in promoting has developed – not simply as an artwork, however as a measurable science.
DAIVID’s AI testing blends facial coding, eye monitoring, and survey information to foretell emotional response and a spotlight. 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,” stated Ian Forrester, DAIVID’s CEO. “‘The place Love Lives’ is a really worthy addition to their much-celebrated catalogue, producing essentially the most intense optimistic response since 2016.”
Classes From The Information: 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 best way emotion is harnessed.
In 2023 and 2024, many Christmas advertisements throughout Europe pivoted towards humor, movie star, 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 in opposition to 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 technology rediscovers its personal previous. The Nineteen Nineties at the moment are 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 reality. 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, recent to Gen Z listeners.
The Imperfect However Essential Metrics
Regardless of its emotional power, DAIVID’s testing discovered a weak spot: behavioral intent. Viewers had been barely much less probably 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 reality I explored years in the past: John Lewis’s advertisements have at all times prioritized model fairness over short-term gross sales. They purpose to bolster 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 information 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, however it retains the model prime of thoughts when shoppers are prepared to purchase once more.
AI Confirms What Our Hearts Already Knew
We’ve formally reached a captivating 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 tens of millions of facial expressions and gaze patterns, entrepreneurs can quantify what “heartwarming” actually means.
That’s an enormous shift for artistic technique. It permits advertisers to validate instinct-driven concepts – not change them. AI didn’t write “The place Love Lives”; it simply confirmed what good storytellers already knew: emotion works.
The larger development right here is how AI-driven artistic measurement is reshaping the promoting trade. 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 right annual case examine.
Why It Nonetheless Works
Regardless of its slight dip in motion metrics, “The place Love Lives” hits all the best nostalgic notes. It’s a narrative about reconnection, love, and shared reminiscences – and it does so by way of a soundtrack that brings a complete technology 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 seems like a assured return to type – each emotionally and strategically.
Closing Verdict
After just a few uneven years, John Lewis has lastly discovered its rhythm once more – actually and emotionally.
“The place Love Lives” might not be the retailer’s most shareable advert, however it’s actually 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
