John Lewis’ second installation of its three-part trilogy focuses on gift-giving ahead of the festive season. ‘Give Knowingly’ celebrates the customers who know their loved ones well and are able to find the perfect, meaningful Christmas gifts at John Lewis.  

The campaign, created by Saatchi & Saatchi, is the second chapter of the trilogy created by which kicked off in September with the return of the ‘Never Knowingly Undersold’ price promise and shop window campaign. The third is set to be the much anticipated Christmas spot, which can be expected later this month.

‘Give Knowingly’ celebrates the power of gift giving and showcases the breadth of products available at John Lewis. The fully integrated campaign will comprise of eight films that will run across TV, BVOD, digital, social as well as out-of-home, print, social media and radio, comprising of the Top 100 gifts for the season.

The campaign launches with a heartfelt film voiced by Samantha Morton who narrated part one of the trilogy. Set to a piano rendition of Bob Dylan’s ‘Make You Feel My Love’ by Brad Kella, the iteration sees Morton narrate the life of a gifted pink jumper. 

The film is made up of home-video style footage of the pink jumper and the wearer at pivotal moments. From putting the jumper in the attic when she dyes her hair pink to wearing it when she meets her partner, the emotive film shows the long lifespan of a thoughtful gift.

Other products featured in the campaign have been designed by Izaac, a care-experienced designer from the MxC range, with proceeds from the sale of products going to care-experienced charities.

The campaign lands ahead of Black Friday, a key shopping landmark in the festive trading period. According to John Lewis, nearly two-thirds of all purchases made over the period were bought as Christmas gifts. As such, the campaign’s focus on gifting aims to inspire consumers by showcasing a breadth of gifts from cashmere to gadgets to skincare. One spot sees Charlotte Tilbury provide a voiceover for her skincare products.

The spot also builds on the comeback of the Never Knowingly Undersold price promise, to provide customers with competitive prices for gifts.

“At John Lewis we recognise the changing dynamic in Christmas shopping” says Charlotte Lock, Customer Director John Lewis, “As Black Friday builds and our customers focus on finding the right gift for their loved ones, this campaign offers them inspiration. It also reminds them that they can always buy the right gift at the right price at John Lewis, not just over the Black Friday period.” 

As the festive season kicks off, John Lewis is hot out of the starting blocks providing customers with inspiration and quality. The spot builds excitement for audiences as they await the final part of the Christmas crescendo.