Although they've tried in the past couple of years, John Lewis has failed to capture the heartwarming, lip-quivering emotion of 2011's The Long Wait or 2015's Man on the Moon. But this year's The Beginning, a shout-out to raise awareness of children in care, is making even the hardest of audiences cry into their cornflakes.
The 90-second ad - set to a cover of Blink 182’s All the Small Things by US artist Mike Geier - shows a man as he struggles painfully to master skateboarding in the build-up to Christmas. Viewers wonder why he's putting himself through the grind of mastering the art until the final scene, which shows a social worker at his door with teenager Ellie, who has arrived at her new foster home carrying her skateboard.
John Lewis said it understood that not all foster carers had the benefit of knowing who they would be looking after in advance and that its broader campaign also featured “authentic voices of carers” and “young people with different experiences of a complex care system”.
Read more: Christmas adverts 2022 from Marks and Spencer to John Lewis, Boots, Asda, Aldi and McDonald's
Cold hearts have been melted all over the internet with viewers 'sobbing' about the 'perfect' ad. @toobear69 wrote: "Me to son: Oh look, it’s the John Lewis Christmas ad. It’s about skateboarding! We watch the advert. He then tells me about skating… I rush off to loudly make coffee. Sobbing as I do. As the dad of an adopted son, this one got me. Awesome."
Elliot Gonzalez said: "The John Lewis Christmas ad isn’t what I was expecting. No high concept, no big budget, no CGI, just a really lovely heartwarming story which uses their platform to raise vital awareness for children in care. Well done @JohnLewisRetail . You’ve read the room right."
Jon Will Chambers credited John Lewis for putting out a 'real message', saying: "John Lewis go for a real message for once not a marketable character. Hope it results in some big donations but also credible and real support for those in and from care."
Stephen Pollard tweeted: "Bloody hell. As this ad went on I was thinking, 'Ugh, another sentimental John Lewis Xmas ad, blah blah blah.' And then...the last few seconds. No more Mr Scrooge from me. What a brilliant ad, with an actual purpose to it beyond sales."
And Frances tweeted: "Having previously volunteered with children in the care system, one of the things they always wanted to have was someone to share in their hobby. Well done John Lewis."
Perhaps the reaction from Action For Children was the most important. The charity, which works to improve life for children in the UK, worked with the retailer and said: "Together, we can support and empower the most vulnerable children in the country, and help give them the magical Christmas they deserve."
For more information on Action For Children and how to support them, click here.
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