John Lewis appoints Saatchi & Saatchi as new creative partner

The John Lewis Partnership has appointed Saatchi and Saatchi as its new creative marketing partner for both John Lewis and Waitrose.

Starting from the summer, Saatchi and Saatchi will become the lead creative agency for all JLP, John Lewis, John Lewis Financial Services and Waitrose brand and advertising activity. All accounts are currently held by adam&eveDDB.  

Sarah Jenkins, managing director for Saatchi and Saatchi, said: “As the John Lewis Partnership accelerates into a new and exciting next chapter, we are honoured to be taking on this remit and extremely proud of the creativity and smarts of the entire agency in ensuring we won this pitch.”

Saatchi and Saatchi will develop and produce all of the brand campaigns, including the popular John Lewis Christmas TV advert. Saatchi will also support next year’s launch of the new JLP brand loyalty programme, which will see customers being rewarded more when they shop with John Lewis and Waitrose. The first campaign is expected to be for Waitrose in the autumn.

The appointment does not include a review of JLP’s media agency account held by Manning Gottlieb (MG OMD), which was reviewed in the last couple of years, or content production.

Charlotte Lock, customer director for John Lewis and Pan-Partnership, said: “We want to thank all of the agencies involved in the recent pitch to become our lead strategic and creative partner across the JLP brands. The process showcased the extraordinary talents of our UK creative industries and the deep affection for our brands, for which we’re very grateful. 

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with the talented team at Saatchi & Saatchi in our next stage of growth.  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.”

Nathan Ansell, Customer director for Waitrose, said: “The Waitrose team can’t wait to get working with Saatchi & Saatchi. They’ve demonstrated a phenomenal capability and ability to ‘lift the lid’ on what makes Waitrose special in a dynamic, modern and compelling way.

“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.”