What We’re Following: Week of November 16th

Did the John Lewis spot cross the line from emotional to emotionally manipulative?

John Lewis is a department store in the UK. I had to see this ad after reading a Guardian article where readers were slamming it for leaning too hard on nostalgia. The ad took a brutal roasting. It is understandable. People are tired of having their emotions yanked every holiday season. That is a sentiment you cannot ignore.

I expected the usual syrupy Christmas cliché. This is not that. The commercial plays straight until the 1:17 mark, when the father suddenly remembers holding his infant son. It flashes into holding his young son. Then it snaps back to his teenage son standing in front of him. No dialogue. Just connection.

The shift is abrupt. Sharp. Almost blunt force in how quickly it lands. There is no real build up to it. But the moment the dad imagines himself dancing in a club, you know this is not going to be a traditional Christmas ad.

It comes together at the end. This is an ad about how men communicate when they struggle to talk. Even fathers and sons. It is not a bad ad. It is just doing something different.

But the question is this:

• Did people dislike the ad because it was not wrapped in the nostalgic packaging they are used to
• Or did it push viewers out of their comfort zone during a season known for familiar and comforting traditions

And remember. No one would mistake a Guardian reader for conservative or traditional. You can make the call yourself.

GM Santa is keeping score on who is naughty or nice, but can we get some NIL money while we are at it?

This ad is an easy slam dunk even though this is probably the last way anyone would ever picture Santa. He is running a front office, working a scouting report, and logging naughty and nice like it is a draft board. You cannot go wrong when you have every athlete imaginable. It is clear DICK’S Sporting Goods had an athlete wish list for this campaign and it looks like they checked every name they wanted.

The final joke is Draymond Green stuck on the naughty list for another year. Does anyone really think Draymond cares what list he is on?

A commercial that will have you asking, “Is that any way to terrorize a Gingerbread Man?”

As much as I hate to admit it, I do not like commercials that target men with that voice that says, without ever needing to hear the actual words, “I’m a big tough man. You’re a big tough man. This is a tough man product or brand. You should buy it like the rest of us big tough men do.” They are effective, and they are not all bad, but that voiceover style is unmistakable once you hear it.

There is one other brand that plays this same card. I will not mention them, since this is not their ad.

I would love to believe there is a better way to communicate to men without pumping the voiceover guy’s vocal cords full of steroids, but in 2025 that does not seem to be the case.

Voiceover aside, this is an amusing ad that communicates well visually and quickly. It uses a simple before and after structure. Before: shopping that is not Duluth Trading feels like torture. After: shopping at Duluth Trading is royal treatment, baby.

Unless you are Keira Knightley, Phil has zero interest in you.

Waitrose is a grocery store in the UK. You have to hand it to them for going big budget on a commercial in a way we would never see in the US. This is not just a big budget commercial. This is a big budget Rom-Com commercial that brings in Keira Knightley like it is part of the “Love Actually” universe.

This is more of a mini film than a commercial.

The ad sets the tone fast. Phil jokes that his late wife said he can only move on if the woman is Keira Knightley. One grocery run later he bumps into Knightley at the deli, sparks hit, and JAMES’ “She’s a Star” kicks in. From there the spot leans fully into the rom-com arc: the meet-cute, the sudden rival, the grand gesture, and Phil trying to win her with a home-cooked meal made from Waitrose ingredients. They even recreate the “Love Actually” door-card moment. I am not going to ruin the ending, but it is a Rom-Com Christmas ad. You already know how it ends without me telling you.

This ad is a delight. It has star power. It has an everyday guy as the hero with great hair and good comedic timing. Waitrose is integrated into the story smoothly as both a setting and a supporting character. This one is a must watch.