In a year of such overwhelming change it often felt like we were collectively skating on the surface of history and the sharp edges of the zoom screen. The honest truth is that I loved the John Lewis ad before I even saw it. For if there was ever a year to celebrate getting work out into the world in the midst of economic headwinds then 2022 was it.

Then I saw it and I loved it even more. Yes, there was no fluffy character to purchase (in our house Christmas is marked by the accompanying character; Moz, Buster, Edgar we’ve got them all.) But while my eldest child has begun to question the existence of Father Christmas; my belief in the John Lewis advert remains intact. 

If John Lewis invented the Christmas ad, then in 2022 the brand successfully reinvented it for a year like no other. The festive spot retained many of the hallmarks of a John Lewis advert; exceptional storytelling, a new recording of a familiar song, emotional pull; yet a pull which this year was coupled with genuine economic impact. 

Created in association with children’s charities Action for Children and Who Cares Scotland, its message about cared-for-children and the love, care and highs and lows of fostering and adoptive parents, the campaign’s scope ventured well beyond the traditional festive aesthetic. 

Yet while LinkedIn reply guys, and Advertising’s many-feathered Twitter ‘think-boi’s’ hovered over their keyboards with their hot ad takes ready, outside the advertising bubble something else was happening. At a time of year where so many of the familiar advertising narratives centre around the nuclear family, the beauty of being seen - as foster parents and children was not just moving, it moved people to action. With local councils using the ad and the conversation it has generated to encourage people to become a carer this Christmas. 

The power of using the most important platform of the annual advertising calendar to raise awareness of foster care on a national scale. So in the place of yet another festive hot take I offer up a single festive takeaway: If you want to do things differently remember that cynicism is the enemy of creativity.