John Lewis ‘Gloria and Pickles’: Bigmouth strikes again

And so, dear readers, we turn to this year’s John Lewis Christmas ad. Most of you will know the score by now, with “Gloria and Pickles” apparently becoming one of the most controversial festive campaigns in the retailer’s history.

If you haven’t seen it, where the hell have you been? Anyway, in a nutshell, the Saatchi & Saatchi ad stars Dame Kristin Scott Thomas as a wealthy grandmother attempting to bond with her “tricksy” grandchildren on Christmas Eve.

After years of giving cash gifts, granny tries another tack and a talking vintage toy dog named Pickles, voiced by Paul Whitehouse, convinces her to transform her garage into a glittering “Gran Cave” grotto filled with festive decorations. The display ultimately delights the children, earning Gloria the affectionate Christmas hug she desired.

The campaign was directed by Lucy Forbes through Smuggler, while singer-songwriter Sam Fender has provided the soundtrack for the film with his new single, a cover of The Rolling Stones’ classic You Can’t Always Get What You Want. 

Saatchi & Saatchi chief creative officer Franki Goodwin said: “This year has been a joyful collaboration with a series of icons; a Dame, a record-breaking artist, and an enduring wooden toy. I would also add our director Lucy Forbes to that list, who was for us, the only person to bring this powerful intergenerational story to life. Finding the perfect balance between relatable family dynamics and proper magic gave us the opportunity to create this glorious celebration of giving. This one really does have something for everyone.”

So, what’s the issue then? Well, the most vocal complaints focus on the behaviour of the grandchildren, with viewers expressing intense irritation on social media regarding how they initially treat their grandmother.

Meanwhile, a significant portion of the backlash relates to the luxurious London setting. Critics have argued that flaunting a massive, wealthy home and an extravagant “Gran Cave” renovation project feels deeply tone-deaf amid an ongoing cost-of-living crisis. Many felt the underlying message, that a grandparent must buy their way into their grandchildren’s affection with expensive gifts from John Lewis, is highly cynical.

High-profile figures have been going apoplectic. Kirstie “young people could afford to buy homes if they made lifestyle sacrifices” Allsopp criticised the opening scene where the children refuse to give their grandmother a hug, while others were shocked by the children visibly shaking their Christmas cards to check for money, pointing to them as “ungrateful brats”. Piers “sacked by the Mirror for running fake photos of soldiers in Iraq” Morgan went as far as to call it “the worst advert I’ve ever seen for anything”, claiming it would actively dissuade him from shopping there.

Even Vanessa “hoax callers are always on my show” Feltz waded in, pulling apart the rude grandchildren, the strange family dynamics, the flying tuk-tuk, the extravagant Christmas surprise and questioning whether John Lewis has lost its famous festive magic.

In fact, according to data from Carma, the global media monitoring and intelligence company, 77% of sentiment-scored social media mentions negative in tone, with posts describing the story as materialistic, criticising the children’s behaviour, and debating the family’s representation in a polarised way. However, most of the comments have came from young men.

Meanwhile, Kantar noted that while the ad successfully highlights the joy of giving, it lacks the signature “tear-jerker” emotional impact of classic John Lewis campaigns from previous years. Even so, creative effectiveness company System1 says the ad has achieved a 5.6-Star Rating, making it the retailer’s strongest-performing festive campaign since Excitable Edgar in 2019, which achieved the maximum 5.9 Stars.

Elsewhere, creative directors across the land have praised the acting of Kristin Scott Thomas but note that the concept lacked surprise. Because viewers immediately know she is going to John Lewis to buy a grand gift, apparently the narrative arc feels a bit “phoned in” compared to benchmarks like 2011’s The Long Wait, which featured a restless young boy who appears impatient for Christmas to arrive, counting down the days.

On LinkedIn, our industry’s very own award-winning creative director Steve ‘slug’ Broadhurst wrote: “Like most people I have an opinion on the John Lewis Xmas TV ad. Unlike most people I’m going to keep it to myself.” For a man who would comment on the opening of an envelope, that is pretty extraordinary.

So, what is the consensus around the Decision Marketing office?

Sod the backlash, we like it, a lot. After all, it’s a Christmas ad for John Lewis, remember them? You know, the upmarket retailer? OK, it doesn’t really sell anything but in a way that’s not a bad thing. And, as for the people who claim the spot is “deeply tone-deaf amid an ongoing cost-of-living crisis”, what would they prefer, Kristin Scott Thomas and her family in rags, trying to cook Christmas dinner over a candle? Bah.

As for the grandkids, they are typical youngsters and if you can’t recognise that you must be wearing blinkers.

And, just ask yourselves this: what has Piers “bigmouth” Morgan ever done, other spout bile? He hates advertising anyway, from Warburton’s “Goodbagels” with Robert de Niro to Greggs, HSBC and Gillette. He also bangs on about brands being woke even when, funnily enough, advertising has paid the big fat salary he has been trousering for decades… Just saying.

Decision Marketing Adometer: A ‘Shaddup you face Morgan’ 10 out of 10