John Lewis fans know that the arrival of November signals the imminent release of their annual Christmas advert. This year, we’ve been treated to a teaser trailer while we eagerly await the full ad.
The retail giant has teamed up with Saatchi and Saatchi for this sneak peek, which centres around a striking pink jumper – so you might want to have your tissues at the ready as it’s quite the tear-jerker. The festive commercial, titled ‘Give Knowingly’, traces the journey of this standout piece of clothing.
Narrated by actress Samantha Morton, she tells viewers that the recipient wouldn’t have chosen such a bold colour herself. ‘Knowing you’re not into pink, but your mum knows it suits you and that this will become the jumper,’ she narrates as a female carefully wraps it in white and red striped paper.
We then see the woman donning the jumper at a Christmas party, only to remove it and leave it on a chair – but as her mother predicted, it soon becomes a cherished item in her wardrobe. ‘In four years time, you’ll be cross with yourself when you -‘ Samantha begins, just as the woman accidentally drops a blob of jam on the pink jumper.
‘Oh dear. ‘ She concludes.
The teaser shows the woman casually draping it over the back of the sofa as she delves into a book, and later packing away the standout item when she dyes her hair pink, stating ‘pink on pink is too much pink’. However, it soon finds its way back into her winter wardrobe rotation.
“You’ll rediscover it,” Samantha gently assures. “You’ll even be wearing it when you and Jo become an item, but you don’t know any of that yet.”
The ad ends with a message to viewers: “Just know, it’s for you and the person who gave it to you.”
This is the second teaser John Lewis has released in anticipation of their annual full-length Christmas advert, expected to be unveiled in the coming weeks, reports the Mirror.
While the exact release date remains unknown, previous years have seen it debut in the first or second week of November, always on a Thursday. Last year’s advert was released on Thursday, November 9, suggesting we could see the full-length version as early as next week, Thursday, November 7.
Today’s clip struck a chord with loyal customers, many of whom took to social media to share their reactions. One Instagram user commented: “So so sweet! The humble sweater tells a tale indeed”.
Another shared: “This was a hard watch. My mum passed away last Christmas, hold your mums tight and tell them how much you love them”. An X user added: “Lovely advert lovely jumper as well. Look forward to this year’s Christmas advert as always.”
In a statement on the retailer’s website, they expressed that for over 160 years ‘we’ve helped our customers find that perfect gift’, even if they don’t realise it yet. Meanwhile, Saatchi and Saatchi posted on their Instagram: “This Christmas, we want you to make every gift meaningful.”
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