Marks & Spencer has entered the Christmas advertising fray with a playful campaign featuring a topless James Norton as Santa, taking on John Lewis's festive offering starring Kristin Scott Thomas.
The M&S ad has drawn comparisons with John Lewis's effort. Gurjit Degun, creativity and cultural editor at Campaign, described the M&S ad as “playful and tongue in cheek without being silly.” M&S's campaign shows James Norton as Santa shaving his beard to experience Christmas incognito, while Lucy Punch plays a snobbish Mrs Claus. John Lewis's ad features Kristin Scott Thomas as a grandmother creating a “gran cave”; its portrayal of wealth was criticised, with the sprawling house and ungrateful grandchildren said to be out of touch with the wider mood.
M&S is still trying to bounce back from a 2025 cyber hack that closed its website for over six weeks, costing it more than £100m, while John Lewis grapples with higher costs and declining consumer confidence. Jonathan De Mello, founder of JDM Retail consulting, said the John Lewis strategy is smart, targeting a fairly affluent group, but cautioned it could “alienate the mass market.” In contrast, he said M&S now taps into a younger consumer psyche, with the ad reflecting the retailer’s successful turnaround.
James Norton said the “playful, funny and reverent script” appealed to him, and that he trusted director Shannon Murphy to deliver on the tone; she has worked on Killing Eve. He said that while he is “a sucker for a traditional tearjerker,” the ad captures “connection and joy” through family-and-friends moments. Lucy Punch said she wants “fun and joy,” adding that “life is enough of a tearjerker.”
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The Christmas ad battle highlights retail competition in a tough economic climate, where brand perception can drive holiday sales.
- Different targeting strategies reflect changing consumer values, with M&S appealing to younger shoppers and John Lewis focusing on affluent older customers.
- The success of these campaigns may influence how retailers invest in festive marketing amid broader financial pressures.
Background
John Lewis has traditionally dominated the Christmas ad space with emotional, tearjerker campaigns, but M&S is challenging this with a lighter, more playful approach. M&S is recovering from a 2025 cyber hack that cost it over £100m, while John Lewis faces higher costs and declining consumer confidence. The ads were launched in early November 2026, setting the stage for a competitive holiday season.
Key Perspectives
- Gurjit Degun: Describes M&S ad as “playful and tongue in cheek without being silly.”
- James Norton: Attracted by the “playful, funny and reverent script”; believes the ad still conveys “connection and joy.”
- Lucy Punch: Prefers fun and joy over tearjerkers, calling life “enough of a tearjerker.”
- Jonathan De Mello: Says John Lewis targets the affluent but may alienate the mass market; M&S successfully aligns with younger consumers.
What to Watch
- How consumers respond to the ads in terms of sales and social media engagement in the weeks leading to Christmas.
- Whether M&S can sustain its brand turnaround after the cyber hack.
- Future Christmas campaigns as the two retailers continue to compete for market share.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 10 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedM&S and John Lewis are competing over their Christmas adverts.World news | The Guardian: “M&S takes on John Lewis in Christmas ad battle with topless ‘shredded Santa’.”
- SupportedThe topless Santa has gone viral.World news | The Guardian: “But shots of Norton topless aside from an M&S white cotton towel have gone viral.”
- SupportedM&S’s campaign plays up youthful fun.World news | The Guardian: “In the M&S corner Norton and Lucy Punch play a youthful Mr and Mrs Claus – with a lingering shot of Norton with his top off.”
- Partly supportedJohn Lewis is targeting fairly affluent shoppers.World news | The Guardian: ““They are targeting a group that is fairly affluent,” he said.”
- SupportedThe M&S advert features James Norton as an undercover Santa who shaves his beard to experience Christmas incognito.World news | The Guardian: “Norton plays an undercover Santa who shaves off his beard so he can experience the buildup to Christmas incognito”
- SupportedGurjit Degun described the M&S ad as “playful and tongue in cheek without being silly.”World news | The Guardian: “Gurjit Degun, the creativity and cultural editor at Campaign, a business magazine that covers advertising and marketing, described the M&S ad as “playful and tongue in cheek without being silly”.”
- SupportedJohn Lewis’s portrayal of wealth was criticised as out of touch with the wider mood.World news | The Guardian: “When John Lewis launched its advert this week, its portrayal of wealth was criticised, with a sprawling house and ungrateful grandchildren said to be out of touch with the wider mood of the nation.”
- SupportedM&S is still recovering from a 2025 cyber hack that closed its website for over six weeks and cost it more than £100m.World news | The Guardian: “M&S is still trying to bounce back from a 2025 cyber hack that forced it to close its website for more than six weeks, costing it over £100m”
- SupportedDe Mello said John Lewis’s strategy is smart, targets a fairly affluent group and could alienate the mass market.World news | The Guardian: ““They are targeting a group that is fairly affluent,” he said. “They have a decent chunk of disposable income because they have paid off their mortgages.” However, this approach could “alienate the mass market””
- SupportedNorton said the script appealed to him and that he trusted director Shannon Murphy to deliver its tone.World news | The Guardian: “Norton said the combination of a “playful, funny and reverent script” appealed to him. He is a “huge fan” of the advert’s director, Shannon Murphy”
- Partly supportedNorton said he is “a sucker for a traditional tearjerker” and that the ad captures “connection and joy” through family-and-friends moments.World news | The Guardian: “While he is usually “a sucker for a traditional tearjerker”, he believes the ad still captures the emotion of Christmas thanks to those family-and-friends moments that speak to “connection and joy”.”
- SupportedLucy Punch said she wants “fun and joy” and that “life is enough of a tearjerker.”World news | The Guardian: ““I don’t want any more Christmas tearjerkers,” she said. “I want fun and joy. Life is enough of a tearjerker, it’s fun to have something festive with a bit of a wink.””