Critics have warned that the appointment of John Lewis’s French director collective Megaforce for this year’s Christmas advert may spell the end of the iconic ‘traditional tear-jerker’.
Megaforce – made up of Charles Brisgand, Clément Gallet, Léo Berne and Raphaël Rodriguez – was chosen last month to work with Publicis Groupe’s Saatchi on the retailer’s 2023 festive ad.
The Paris-based group’s past work didn’t shy away from themes of violence, sex, drugs and torture in the making of Rihanna’s song ‘B***h Better Have My Money’, and it is now feared to potentially take the British retailer giant’s annual Christmas spot in a different direction.
Critics have described the singer’s video – which depicts scenes such as the pop star covered in blood, a character being murdered and various scenes of torture – as ‘horrific’ and showing ‘depravity as a hobby’.
The music video is a far cry from previous Christmas adverts released by the British high street titan, such as last year’s The Beginner, featuring the relationship between a foster dad and his new daughter.
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Often centred around the themes of love, gift giving and friendship, notable John Lewis Christmas adverts include 2013’s The Bear and The Hare – where a hare buys a hibernating bear an alarm clock to wake him up for Christmas.
An industry insider told The Daily Mail: “There is a feeling that last year’s advert was once again that warm, kind tearjerker.”
“There was a lot of talk within John Lewis that things need to be freshened up. It is now being predicted that this year’s campaign will be premium and high-end.
“There is a lot of excitement about this one. It has been finished and those few people that know what it’s about cannot wait to share it.”
This year’s ad is not the only John Lewis creative to be met with controversy and speculation. The retailer was initially accused of copying the idea of 2019’s Edgar the Excitable – a sneezing dragon that keeps setting fire to things is finally accepted by villagers after igniting a Christmas pudding.
John Lewis went on to win the legal copyright battle in the UK High Court earlier this year after the judge said there was not “a scrap of evidence” that the idea was copied.
1 Comment. Leave new
Goodbye John Lewis.