John Lewis Launches Christmas Ad Campaign Featuring 90s Dance Track
London, UK – November 10, 2023 – John Lewis has officially kicked off the Christmas advertising season with the premiere of its festive ad campaign. This year’s offering features a rendition of the 1990s club classic “Finally” by CeCe Peniston, and is being rolled out in stages, prioritizing members of its loyalty scheme.
The ad was first released to John Lewis loyalty members on Tuesday before its wider launch on YouTube. it will also air during the final of The Great British Bake Off on channel 4 Tuesday evening.
The launch follows similar moves by other major retailers. Sainsbury’s debuted its Christmas ad on Sunday, with Morrisons’ campaign set to premiere Tuesday. Marks & Spencer has opted for a series of product-focused ads for clothing and homeware, beginning in October, alongside a food ad starring Dawn French for the fifth consecutive year and the launch of a dedicated TikTok shop.
Retailers are leveraging major events like Christmas and Halloween to encourage consumer spending, as households continue to manage budgets impacted by high costs for energy, housing, and food.
Overall festive advertising spend is projected to increase by 7.3% to £12bn, according to the Advertising Association/Warc. Video on demand is experiencing the largest growth, up 17.2%, though this is offset by a near 3% decline in overall TV ad spend.Social media advertising is expected to rise almost 13%, accounting for 54% of total online display advertising. Cinema and search are also seeing gains, while customary physical media like newspapers and magazines are experiencing losses.
