The John Lewis advert for home insurance

[DartmoorChef]

Surely I can't be the only person to find this advert absolutely terrible. Yay let's put a boy in a dress and make up and be so woke... and let him completely trash the house while mummy looks on indulgently because apparently home insurance covers wilful damage these days...

If I had gone on the rampage around the house like that... my backside would have been so sore I wouldn't have say down for a week, nor would I have been allowed out or given spending money until I was 35

Seriously though, this has to be one of the most absurd adverts I've ever seen and yes I know by posting about it, that is probably the desired effect but it actually puts me off shopping at John Lewis or using their services.

Yanbu - ridiculous advert
Yabu - it's fine and a bit of fun

It's not really serving the trans community

When are we going to start being shown ads depicting someone who is part of the majority groups in the UK engaging in majority type activities?

Er.. there are approximately 67.22 million people in the uk.
32.9 million are men.
33.75 million are women.
Apparently 200 - 500,000 people are trans.
Not really a majority then.

I actually found it uncomfortable especially the part where he sort of shows his fist to her, to show him his power

I saw it again on TV over the weekend and noticed they had cut the fist part along with the bit where he slaps his paint smeared hands against the cupboards. I wonder if it was just to make it shorter to fit the ad break or something else?

@JoborPlay

DH showed it to me last night and we both agreed it was a pretty perfect depiction of DS. He loves dressing up, wearing make, posing and pouting. I've no idea where he gets it from, we're virtually screen free, and I'm quite a tomboy! He also manages to create mess wherever he goes, not intentionally though.

Hi,just wondered how old your son is? My son is the same and this advert is so like him with the dressing up and posing! I’ve not really spoke to anyone else who has a son like this

@Hugoslavia

Also, so many people here offended by it being misleading in terms of insurance coverage. It makes me wonder whether they are really that bothered by that issue, or have first been ruled by a boy wearing makeup in a dress.

Nobody gets riled by a boy in his mother's dress. Mine were trying them on 20 years ago. It's the other messages and stetotying that is the issue.

YANBU. I'd have had a red arse, too if I'd have acted like that. No 2 ways about it.

Haha! I was sent this Ad but at the end it was an Ad for Durex!! I didn’t realise it was anything other than an Ad for Durex!! Don’t have kids!!

My anxiety went through the roof watching until I got to the durex part and then I laughed

Just submitted as ASA complaint.

Disrespectful entitled brat trashes the home... yeah, alright then.

Love MN - this sums up everything perfectly.

Absolute fucking shite of an ad.

Does anyone know what those who can afford "accidental damage" cover are covered for if their child under 10 deliberately damages things? I presume even though under age of 10 so no crimes that is not then accidental damage?

Yanbu it’s a terrible ad

The wilful damage is annoying

The other version with the dancer made people talk but not negatively

I think the ASA will be very busy on this one. Also, because it's an insurance ad, the Financial Conduct Authority as they regulate providers of insurance and I simply don't believe that an insurance company would pay out for wilful damage that a parent just let happen.

@Xenia

Does anyone know what those who can afford "accidental damage" cover are covered for if their child under 10 deliberately damages things? I presume even though under age of 10 so no crimes that is not then accidental damage?

I think you'd be covered if eg your 5 year old knocked a cup of tea over your nice new sofa.

But not in this case where the boy went round and his mother just sat there and let it happen. You can't let a child trash the place and then say it was an accident, when it clearly wasn't.

Also, so many people here offended by it being misleading in terms of insurance coverage. It makes me wonder whether they are really that bothered by that issue, or have first been ruled by a boy wearing makeup in a dress

Really couldn't give a stuff that a boy is wearing a dress. In fact if we gave fewer stuffs, we wouldn't have the whole trans issue. Gender stereotyping (along with squeamishness to use the word sex instead of gender) is what has got us into the trans mess.

@berlinbabylon

For me, the problem is that it’s totally misleading - JL have admitted that the insurance only covers accidental damage (see their cut and paste replies on YouTube)

So if this is correct how the heck did it get past Clearcast?

(for MNers who don't know the system, if you put out a TV ad it has to be pre-cleared by Clearcast and they will check that your claims are valid - supposedly)

But not if it's only going on video on demand or cinema, which don't' have to be pre-cleared.

I have only seen the Youtube version, so while writing this, I am now not sure if it went out on TV as well?

It's been on tv as well

Also, so many people here offended by it being misleading in terms of insurance coverage. It makes me wonder whether they are really that bothered by that issue, or have first been ruled by a boy wearing makeup in a dress

This is not correct as an assumption, here anyway.

It’s the wilful damage and the passive mother and sister that is annoying

@NiceGerbil

Just thought.

With ads esp for larger companies. I thought it was a long process. Loads of stages and people. And I'm sure a group of target people see it and give feedback?

I mean these things cost vast amounts of money. You want to make sure it hits the right spot for your customers/ potential customers. And very very important not to contain anything that might be even slightly off-putting/ damage brand/ not resonate with your market etc.

I'm wondering if somehow the usual process wasn't followed. Or those involved including customer panel were from a different audience?

Yes, I wondered about this, too. No ad agency focus group? Or a selected focus group?

Woke bandwagoning.

The ad agency is adam&eveDDB.

www.adnews.com.au/news/a-tiny-dancer-slips-on-his-mother-s-dress-in-a-cracker-commercial-from-john-lewis

The UK company told AdNews: “At John Lewis, we believe in children having fun and that’s why we chose this playful storyline for our latest advert."

"It’s designed to show the young actor getting carried away with his dramatic performance, unaware of the unintentional consequences of his actions."

"...Claire Pointon, customer director for John Lewis said; “We wanted to inject joy, freedom and humour into this campaign. The story we landed on fulfils this, with the idea that when you have John Lewis’ Home Insurance with the option of accidental damage cover, you don’t need to worry anymore, you can just ‘let life happen’."

I'm pretty sure Claire Pointon, customer director for John Lewis would be livid if a kid went through her bedroom and played with her make up and threw an umbrella at her furnishings as well as deliberately tipping paint in the carpet.
I'm not sure she see it as playful if it was done in her house!🤣
There is no ' joy' in your ornaments broken and make up ruined and smeared ever where.

‘Life happens’ eh? So they will shrug if your kid does the same in their china department?

I just thought ‘what a little ’ when I saw the ad and imagined my mother’s screams and she would be picking up a broom to clear up/take a swipe at the child.

I really dislike this advert - it’s showing aggressive, thoughtless behaviour as if it’s something we should be celebrating.

Also don’t like the suggestive sexualised posing/pouting because he is a child, and because it looks like the message is if you put on a dress then you are a sexual object, I mean what kind of backward message is that to put out ??

Boy in a dress - soooo on trend with the whole drag thing innit?

I wonder if they even considered a little boy playing spy or doing a ‘home alone’ pastiche (with booby traps etc) and causing havoc? We set up booby traps as children (don’t trash the house though).

Can everyone with a child from toddler to pre teen yrs take them on a rampage round the JL crockery & glassware department to do some purposeful 'accidental' damage?
After all "life happens" and "they're insured "