# John Lewis Christmas advertising campaign

> Developing situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/john-lewis-christmas-advertising-campaign
> Updated: 2026-11-05T00:36:41.000Z. Sources: 28. Developments: 2.

John Lewis released its 20th annual Christmas advertisement, titled “Gloria and Pickles,” starring Dame Kristin Scott Thomas. The campaign, created by Saatchi & Saatchi, depicts a grandmother named Gloria who, encouraged by a vintage toy dog voiced by Paul Whitehouse, seeks meaningful gifts for her grandchildren. The advertisement features a cover of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by Sam Fender, with proceeds from single sales intended for Action for Children and the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Following its release, the advertisement achieved a 5.6-star rating from creative effectiveness firm System1, marking the retailer’s strongest festive campaign performance since 2019. Testing indicated that 61% of viewers felt happy while watching the ad, which is nearly double the UK television advertising average.

## Timeline

### 2026-11-05: John Lewis Christmas ad achieves highest rating since 2019

John Lewis’s 2026 Christmas ad, ‘Gloria and Pickles’, scored 5.6 stars, its best performance since 2019, driven by high viewer emotional engagement.

6 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/john-lewis-christmas-ad-achieves-highest-rating-since-2019

### 2026-11-02: John Lewis launches 2026 Christmas campaign starring Kristin Scott Thomas

John Lewis has unveiled its 2026 Christmas advert, “Gloria and Pickles,” starring Kristin Scott Thomas and featuring a Sam Fender cover of a Rolling Stones classic.

23 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/john-lewis-unveils-2026-christmas-advert-featuring-kristin-scott-thomas

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Cite as: John Lewis Christmas advertising campaign. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/john-lewis-christmas-advertising-campaign