In the wake of the pandemic, consumers are viewing the festive season through a new lens; this is the insight which sits at the heart of John Lewis’s Christmas spot. 

The Christmas spot, from adam&eveDDB, remains the pinnacle of the UK advertising calendar and hits all the right notes in the wake of the lack of those joyful moments of Christmas escapism, togetherness and collective mince pie binging in 2020.

The joyful tale of friendship, love and togetherness finishes with the strapline: “For a Christmas as magical as your first. 

The two-minute ad, entitled ‘Unexpected Guest’ features a young boy and a space traveller. The boy discovers the space traveller in the woods next to his home and introduces her to many of his family’s favourite festive traditions; fairy lights, mince pies and a musical Christmas jumper are the visual shortcuts through which the young boy communicates the unique and special joy of the festive period.

An advert built on the emotions and togetherness of the shared moments which were so deeply missed by so many in the wake of the pandemic.

The ad also provides the annual soundtrack for the season; ’Together in Electric Dreams Originally released by Philip Oakey and Giorgio Moroder in 1984 and brought back to life by South London based singer-songwriter Lola Young.

Claire Pointon, Director of Customer at John Lewis, explains: "After the last 18 months, we wanted our advert to really celebrate this as we look forward to a brighter future. We know our customers are excited for this festive season more than ever, as they reconnect with family and friends. Through the story of Skye and Nathan we celebrate friendship and  are reminded of the joy of experiencing Christmas for the first time.”

The advert will be supported by ten Christmas Emporiums, where consumers will be able to get up close to the alien’s ship and create and share an interactive gif on social media. Two Snapchat lenses will be available on the day of launch; the first, a selfie lens, which lets you become a space-traveller and the second is an outward-facing lens, which enables consumers to play with the spaceship in their very own world. 

While the boy’s Christmas jumper which features heavily in the ad, will be available at John Lewis, with 10% of profits being donated to the Give a Little Love charities FareShare and Home-Start UK. 

In addition, My John Lewis Members will have exclusive access to a virtual experience on the app and website, ‘Unexpected Guest: The Experience’. Members will be able to take on the character of the boy and explore the world of the advert, featuring AR characters and downloadable prizes for children such as printable toys and activities.