From M&S to Tesco, festive advertisers have plumped for themes echoing strong family or community values.
However, a quarter of the value of sales of a special toy bear and other products, including a skateboard as shown in the ad, will go to charities Action for Children and Who Cares? The ad, which will launch to John Lewis loyalty cardholders at 6am on Thursday, two hours before it hits wider social media and then screens alongside ITV’s I’m a Celebrity in the evening, doesn’t call for donations to charity. It follows on from John Lewis’s parent company’s £1.5m “building happier futures” effort to help care experienced young people with training and employment. It felt the right thing to use this platform we have to get this message [on carers] out. Holly Kicul, the senior advertising manager at John Lewis, said “We could have heavily gone for Christmas magic and fun but that didn’t feel the right thing to do this year with everything going on. However, other retailers, such as Tesco, Argos and Boots have focused on a return to family gatherings.
The 90-second ad follows a middle-aged man as he struggles to master the skill of skateboarding. He has a few mishaps and tumbles off the skateboard a ...
The John Lewis Christmas ad is widely considered the major advertising event of the year - and signals that the run up to the festive season has begun. The importance of the skateboard suddenly becomes clear as the man says he likes to skate too. The 90-second ad follows a middle-aged man as he struggles to master the skill of skateboarding.
John Lewis has unveiled its highly anticipated Christmas advert for 2022, and it's certainly a very poignant campaign.
[subscribe now](http://radiotimes.com/magazine-subscription?utm_term=evergreen-article) and get the next 12 issues for only £1. Imran Hussain, director of policy & campaigns at Action for Children also commented: "At Action for Children we want every child to have a safe and happy childhood. Scotland for this advert, which builds on their [Building Happier Futures](https://www.johnlewispartnership.media/news/jlp/18102022/jlp-launches-national-effort-to-help-care-experienced-people-into-work?brand=jlp) campaign, launched earlier in the year, which extends on the retailer's commitment to support young people with experience of the care system in a number of ways, not least finding employment. Speaking about the advert, Claire Pointon, director of customer at John Lewis said: "We are fortunate to have a truly unique platform in our Christmas ad, which sparks a national conversation. "At John Lewis we care deeply about families, and recognise that they come in many different forms. "At Who Cares? Louise Hunter, CEO of Who Cares? Scotland, our vision is a lifetime of equality, respect and love for all Care Experienced people and we are excited to have the support of the John Lewis Partnership in making that a reality." For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the [Radio Times View From My Sofa podcast](https://www.radiotimes.com/audio/podcasts/). We are also very aware that not all care experience outcomes are as positive as Ellie’s. "We are delighted to be working with the John Lewis Partnership on its iconic Christmas advert and applaud the company for its work and long-term commitment to shining a light on the issues facing some of the most vulnerable children in the country. [John Lewis](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/john-lewis-christmas-advert-2022/) has teamed up with Action for Children and Who Cares?