John Lewis Christmas Ad is here

[fishingtime]

And it’s lovely - I think anyway.

https://www.johnlewis.com/content/christmas-advert

Absolutely dreadful. I’m not sure what message it’s sending, other than trying to tell people that the only way your family will like you is if you buy them stuff. Spoilt, entitled kids with useless parents. What a waste of a great actress.

It’s pretty much confirmed to me that John Lewis are out of touch. Who is their customer base? As a once very loyal customer, I find myself buying less and less.

@FeFeFeFeelingRough other toy shops are available but here you go....

The dog is lovely and it could have been executed much better. Having bored children moping around is one thing but rude, disrespectful children bouncing on Grandma’s sofa and shaking her Christmas card expecting cash is another. The wet lettuce mother failing to tell them off as well, instead somehow blaming Granny for their shit behaviour?! It’s just poor.

It kind of makes me relieved that I don't have grandchildren, if that's how it is.

The Tesco one is brilliant this year, in my opinion....

Me too!

I'd be wrapping a big ribboned bow around my foot and giving them a festive kick up the arse.

Merry Christmas!

I’m very easily pleased when it comes to Christmas ads and that was just so sad. Useless parents, rude kids who don’t give a crap about their disinterested (but beautiful) grandparent until she buys them stuff? I like the ‘give gifts not cash’ meaning but wtf were they thinking with that ad.

They are selling them in JL for £12.99

Aye its a bit of a weird one with the petulant kids shaking the cards / envelopes.

Year on year, I always think these things are put together by relatively young advertising folk who assume all kids now are total brats as that possibly seems the norm / default approach.

Gawd how times have changed.

<old git shuffles off muttering>

AWFUL!
Rude kids, pathetic useless parents who have not taught their kids any manners whatsoever. Poor old granny bending over backwards to try and please these brats. The overwhelming message throughout this advert was ‘no matter how rude and mean someone is to you, you better make sure you bend over backwards and work your hardest to please them’. John Lewis, please pull this advert … go back to doing what you do best: fluffy monsters, trampoline dogs and lovable bears!

I agree, bring back the tear-inducing cute animals from years gone by.

About the shaking-the-cards-for-money-thing, though, I read it not as the kids looking for cash they wanted because they were bratty, but expecting cash because previous years Grandma has given them that/shown that she doesn't put thought into presents? They didn't expect anything else/were confused there wasn't cash in the card like usual?

It wasn't well executed to be honest. Parents characters completely missed the mark, which in turn made the children look like brats, when I think they were supposed to be wanting attention that Grandma couldn't give until John Lewis helped her see the light!

And I dont know why the daughter was surprised her children were bored. She presumably grew up in that house/with her mother who didnt know how to relate to kids, so surely she should have expected this was how the visit would go.

It isn't like that (or rather it doesn't have to be).

This ad is aimed at the silver pound crowd (me), encouraging us to spend money in JL instead of just giving it to the grandchildren. They've ticked the politically correct boxes with a mixed race family and Dad making the food.

It's a guilt trip advert telling us that our grandchildren will behave appallingly and their parents will blame us unless we spend a ton of money on gifts/entertainments in JL. I's a waste of KST and it will just infuriate grandparents, who won't be drawn in by the message.

Christmas ads should be joyous, heartwarming, charming, funny and sentimental. The sight of spoilt, badly behaved children being indulged is nauseating. 0/10 John Lewis!

Agree, it wasn't very good or heartwarming.
Mum and children were rude. Dad juat stood about.

I see how Grandma handled it a bit differently though.. you see her about to put money into the cards then she decides not to. Which is made clear by the children shaking them.

I think she decided not to get them presents but instead, decorate the room that's usually out of bounds and listen to music and dance. Therefore giving them her time, affection and fun?
It is still not a good advert though, very flat.

I know nothing about the advertising world but I’ve made a few tweaks in my head and I personally think they would improve it.

The children aren’t rude and badly behaved, but lacklustre and clearly bored.

They come in moping just when nanny is doing her cards with cash.

She says what would you like to do? They politely ask if she’d mind taking them out for them to get a present for their parents. They hold up their pocket money they’ve saved up so we know they’re not trying to sponge off nanny.

As they leave one of the children says ‘let’s take pickles’.

Once in John Lewis the children are entranced by the magic of Christmas, but focus on their mission and get mum and dad a present.

We see Nanny looking thoughtful and this gives her the disco room idea.

On Christmas Day we don’t have the children gloomily shaking their Christmas cards. Instead they unwrap the key and the joy of the disco room commences.

It's shit on every level.

Just as I was thinking that is the worst ad they have ever done, I came to Mumsnet to see the comments. How they made me laugh, and restored a bit of Christmas spirit so sadly lacking from this dreadful ad. Well done Mums.

@poppymango

Aw I don't remember that one, thank you for the link.

Crap ad. Doesn't touch me at all.

They switched ad agencies a couple years ago

OMG John Lewis is promoting those rickshaws? Have they not read the room or at least the news - they’re scammers targeting single women!

Far too long. I was bored half way through

They switched agencies after lockdown

Just clicked on your link. Gosh, how gorgeous is she?

Shockingly bad.

Actually, I think the time has come where one of the supermarkets should just put up a blank screen, perhaps a Christmassy red, and just show the following words:

"Instead of spending £x million on making an advert, we've decided to give that money to the following charities: (insert 10 excellent charity names).

Merry Christmas from Supermarket"

They'd get my custom.