We’ve had dogs on trampolines, penguin love stories, and a man on the moon. Every year, the John Lewis Christmas ad delivers a magical story centered around a very special gift, all wrapped up in a feel-good soundtrack.
But, as we face a growing cost of living crisis, this year’s ad is a little bit different. The message at the heart of the story is that it’s what we do (not the gifts we buy) that really matters. It’s inspired by the brand's commitment to supporting young people living in care and helping them build happier futures.
Here’s the message behind this year’s thought-provoking ad, and how you can help.
The story behind the skateboard
The ad follows a man as he takes up skateboarding a little later in life. Despite a lot of bumps and a few crashes, he perseveres and eventually starts to get the hang of it. (Fittingly, the soundtrack is a cover of Blink 182's 90s hit All the Small Things by Postmodern Jukebox.) Finally, with a ring of the doorbell, it becomes clear who all his efforts have been for: a young girl who loves to skateboard and is looking for her foster family.
‘It’s a very different story than we’ve ever done before, and that was really deliberate,’ says Claire Pointon, Director of Customer at John Lewis. It started with this statistic: More than 100,000 children and young people in the UK will be in care this Christmas.
As part of its long-term partnership with Action for Children and Who Cares? Scotland, the brand wanted to highlight the challenges faced by young people in care, from finding supportive foster families to making the transition into independent living.
‘John Lewis doing this is showing us that we are cared about and that's going to have an impact on so many young people who feel neglected and isolated this Christmas,’ says Rachel, who grew up in care. ‘Just seeing that representation is going to mean so much.’
Building Happier Futures
For John Lewis, this is the beginning of the story, not the end. It builds on the commitments the brand has already made, which includes raising awareness of the inequalities faced by young people who've lived in care, supporting them through partnerships with the voluntary and charity sectors, and being their employer of choice.
In time, the partnership would like to launch dedicated apprenticeships for care leavers and offer financial support for young people who’ve been in care to pursue further education.
How to support young people in care
To learn more about the challenges faced by young people who grow up in care and how you can offer support, head to the Building Happier Futures page.
If you do want to donate, 25% of the retail price for any item purchased from the Lewis Bear collection will go to Action for Children and Who Cares? Scotland this Christmas.
Or buy one, gift one with Madlug bags*, a range new to John Lewis. For every bag purchased, Madlug donates a pack-away travel bag to a child in care. Forty thousand children and young people enter the UK care system every year, and most have their belongings moved in black bin bags or plastic carrier bags. The Madlug pack-away travel bag is unbranded to avoid any stigma and comes with a label that says ‘You are incredible’ to remind every young person that they matter. Because no child should carry their life in a bin bag. The range is exclusively available to purchase on the app only for My John Lewis members until 11th November.
And if you know any budding skaters (big or small), you can shop the Rampage skateboard from the ad, along with a pro helmet and pad set, with 25% of the retail price going to Action for Children and Who Cares? Scotland.
Learn more about how you can support the futures of young people in care at johnlewis.com/content/happierfutures and download the John Lewis app and sign up to My John Lewis today to shop Madlug and more of John Lewis’ ad-inspired gifts exclusively.
*The Madlug Foundation are an independent registered charity at the heart of the Madlug™ movement. With one aim to see children and young people in care treated with #ValueWorthDignity
