John Lewis revisits history for first ad in ‘golden quarter’ trilogy  

John Lewis is drawing on its heritage to celebrate the return of its “refreshed value promise”, with the first in a trilogy of ads building up to its Christmas campaign.

Part of the biggest marketing campaign in the retailer’s history, the advert’s release follows the decision earlier this month to revive the ‘Never Knowingly Undersold’ price pledge in a “reimagined” form, two years after it was scrapped.

The 90-second campaign film and print ads, developed by creative agency Saatchi & Saatchi, show a single window at John Lewis’s Oxford Street flagship being dressed and redressed over a century, the duration of time the price promise has been in operation.

Drawing on the archive for inspiration, the advert shows the window display changing to reflect the iconic products of the age. The display from 1925 features a toaster, so innovative it took centre stage, while scenes from the outbreak of World War II depict how the Oxford Street store provided a temporary war bunker and was hit during the Blitz 84 years ago today (18 September).

The window then moves to the swinging 60s and celebrates the vogue for all things Lycra in the 1980s, before landing in the present day with high-tech LED anti-ageing face masks. The advert, which will air tonight during Channel 4’s Taskmaster, ends with the words Never Knowingly Undersold etched onto the shop window.

The film is the first of an advertising campaign in three chapters for the ‘golden quarter’, culminating in the debut of the John Lewis Christmas ad.

According to the retailer, the concept reflects the new ‘Live Knowingly’ brand platform, which is intended to represent the fact “important values are learned over a lifetime”. Each scene is based on the Partnership’s archives in Berkshire, with the outfits shown in the ad recreated by designer Ed Marler.

‘Hit a sweet spot’: John Lewis claims ‘buzz’ is back with return of price pledge

Customer director, Charlotte Lock, claims the advert demonstrates the “enduring value and values” John Lewis represents are as relevant today as 100 years ago.

“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,” Lock adds.

In its refreshed form, Never Knowingly Undersold will now match prices in store and online across 25 retailers including Amazon (on technology), AO.com and M&S. John Lewis claims sales have “increased significantly” since the price promise returned on 9 September, with organic website visits up by more than 50,000 per day.

Speaking on the release of the retailer’s half-year results last week, John Lewis executive director Peter Ruis told Marketing Week the return of Never Knowingly Undersold had brought a “buzz” back in-store.

“The launch of Never Knowingly Undersold was clearly about the fact that customers understood our quality and service proposition, but weren’t as clear on our pricing, especially after we made the pause two and a half years ago,” Ruis explained.

“It was about bringing customers back to understanding the incredible prices and value we offer, and part of a broader strategy around enhancing the value perception of the brand.”