JOHN Lewis has kicked off its Christmas advert campaign in style with a clip celebrating the return of its famous price match promise.
In the new film by Saatchi and Saatchi, the retailer’s Never Knowingly Undersold pledge takes centre stage.
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It comes as part one in a trilogy of adverts culminating in the chain’s ever-anticipated Christmas ad.
The first video, which will air for the first time tonight on Channel 4, shows a single John Lewis shop window through the decades, from the roaring 1920s through to the modern day.
Scenes are also shown during the outbreak of the Second World War, the swinging 60s and with shoppers clad in Lycra during the 1980s.
The end of the 90-second clip then features the Never Knowingly Undersold pledge, which was first launched in 1925.
The clip, the first festive-themed ad released by a retailer this year, features a soundtrack from award-winning music artist Laura Mvula singing a contemporary version of Paul Simon’s “I Know What I Know”.
The song will no doubt leave shoppers feeling inspired, as John Lewis’ Christmas advert soundtracks are often met with public fanfare.
The video also draws on archive footage taken from the John Lewis Partnership’s (JLP) Heritage Centre in Maidenhead, Berkshire.
Charlotte Lock, John Lewis customer director, said: “We’ve looked to our heritage to inform our refreshed value promise to customers, making it relevant for today by matching not only high street retailers but also online competitors – and we are backing it with the biggest marketing campaign in our history.
“We have drawn on our archives and are literally depicting a window on Britain, showing the changing trends and events over the past century.”
The new video from John Lewis is the first of an advertising campaign with three chapters branded the “Golden Quarter”.
The third will feature the retailer’s Christmas ad.
It is the first time John Lewis has lined up a trilogy of adverts in the run up to the busy Christmas period.
Last year, John Lewis’ Christmas ad featured a young boy nurturing a Venus flytrap named snapper.
But shoppers were left divided over the video, with some saying there were left “in tears” and others stating “Christmas is ruined”.
In 2022, the retailer’s 90-second festive ad had shoppers with their tissues at the ready as it chronicled a foster dad’s painful progress in learning to skateboard – all to make his teenage daughter feel at home at Christmas.
John Lewis’ price match promise was relaunched earlier this month after being dropped in early 2022.
The retailer said sales had “increased significantly” since the pledge’s re-launch, and organic visits to johnlewis.com had increased by more than 50,000 a day.
Organic visits are those that are unpaid and come via search engines.
WHAT RETAILERS ARE DOING THIS CHRISTMAS
A number of retailers have already announced they are closing stores this Boxing Day to give staff time off.
Home Bargains, Aldi and, coincidentally John Lewis and Waitrose have all said they will shut branches on December 25 and 26.
Meanwhile, some retailers have already started stocking Christmas chocolates months in advance.
Earlier this month, Aldi shoppers were rushing to buy Celebrations tubs scanning for £4.49.
Meanwhile, Quality Street launched a nostalgic festive tin for £12, marking 88 years since the chocolates were first made.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
What other retailers price match?
Here is a list of some retailers that offer price matching:
Boots
Boots promises to refund you the difference if you find an electrical beauty product cheaper within 72 hours of your purchase.
Blacks
Outdoor retailer Blacks has one of the most competitive offerings out there – if you find an item cheaper somewhere else, it will actually knock off 10% of that price if you flag it up to seven days after your purchase.
Curry’s
Curry’s promises to price match all items against any other UK retailer if you find a cheaper deal at any other high street store within seven days of buying your item.
Halfords
Halfords will refund customers the difference if they find anything from gadgets to fitting costs cheaper at a competitor within 14 days.
It says it will price match any branded item even if the product is on special offer and will even price match against its own-brand items if a comparable product is cheaper.
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