The John Lewis Partnership has appointed advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi as its new creative marketing partner.
Beginning in summer, Saatchi & Saatchi will lead advertising campaigns across the entire John Lewis Partnership, including all brand and advertising activity for Waitrose and John Lewis Finance.
The brief includes producing and developing John Lewis’s iconic Christmas advert. It will also develop the marketing campaign to promote the launch of JLP’s new cross-partnership loyalty scheme, set to launch in 2024.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with the talented team at Saatchi & Saatchi in our next stage of growth,” said Charlotte Lock, John Lewis’s pan-partnership customer director. “As well as sharp strategic thinking and creative excellence, Saatchi & Saatchi’s culture, commitment to inclusion and social impact makes them a great fit for JLP. We’re very excited about what we’ll achieve together.”
The appointment sees the end of JLP’s long-running partnership with agency Adam&EveDDB, which currently holds the accounts.
The pitching process, which was announced in February, was the first time JLP had held a pitching process for 14 years for John Lewis, and the first time in eight for Waitrose.
It did not include a review of JLP’s media agency account, which will continue to be held by Manning Gottlieb.
Creative talent
“This wonderful win is a testament to the creative talent and passion that fuels our mission to be the most influential creative company in modern Britain,” said Franki Goodwin, chief creative officer at Saatchi & Saatchi. “There are no two brands that represent more of what is good and great about the UK and we are honoured to be able to play a role in their future success.
“We were pushed all the way by the standard set by our predecessors and by the two agencies alongside us in the process. There’s no bigger need or, indeed, appetite for advertising than the success of John Lewis Partnership – these brands are important to the fabric of our nation and we can’t wait to get started.”
The agency is set to deliver its first campaign for Waitrose in the autumn.
Saatchi & Saatchi had demonstrated a “phenomenal capability to ‘lift the lid’ on what makes Waitrose special in a dynamic, modern and compelling way”, said Nathan Ansell, customer director for Waitrose.
“We’re very much looking forward to building on our existing brand strengths – quality, value and sustainability – as well as our recent successful Food to Feel Good About and New Lower Prices activity to further grow the Waitrose brand.”
The announcement follows the appointment of Emily Wells as JLP’s first pan-partnership head of loyalty in April. Her appointment came alongside the signing of two five-year strategic agreements with the customer loyalty company Eagle Eye, and the analytics firm Dunnhumby.
The retailer relaunched its separate My Waitrose and John Lewis loyalty schemes in 2022, but is planning to launch a consolidated overarching loyalty programme as part of chairman Sharon White’s plan to address the retailer’s recent poor performance.
No comments yet