Key facts
- M&S combined its fashion, food, beauty and homeware lines into one Christmas campaign, a strategy it last used in 2017.
- James Norton plays an undercover Santa who shaves off his beard to experience the Christmas buildup incognito.
- Lucy Punch plays a snobbish Mrs Claus in the M&S advert, directed by Shannon Murphy.
- JDM Retail's Jonathan De Mello said the John Lewis approach could alienate the mass market.
Marks & Spencer has released a Christmas advert starring James Norton as a topless Santa and Lucy Punch as Mrs Claus, a campaign the retailer has combined across its fashion, food, beauty and homeware lines for the first time since 2017. The advert has drawn comparisons with John Lewis's own Christmas campaign, which features Kristin Scott Thomas as a grandmother converting a room in her townhouse into a "gran cave".
John Lewis launched its advert this week and its portrayal of wealth drew criticism, with a sprawling house and ungrateful grandchildren described as out of touch. Men's Health magazine described Norton as a "shredded Santa", saying his Saint Nick "leaves the traditional mince-pie physique looking a little dated". Gurjit Degun, creativity and cultural editor at Campaign, a business magazine covering advertising and marketing, described the M&S advert as "playful and tongue in cheek without being silly".
In the M&S advert Norton plays an undercover Santa who shaves off his beard to experience the buildup to Christmas incognito, while Punch plays a snobbish Mrs Claus. Norton said the combination of a "playful, funny and reverent script" appealed to him and that he trusted director Shannon Murphy to deliver on the tone. Punch said she did not want "any more Christmas tearjerkers": "I want fun and joy."
Jonathan De Mello, founder of JDM Retail consulting, described the John Lewis strategy as smart, saying the casting of Scott Thomas reflected the affluent customer the retailer is targeting, but cautioned the approach could "alienate the mass market". He said the M&S advert reflects how the retailer has turned its business around, with its food and fashion lines now aligned.
The report notes M&S is still trying to recover from a 2025 cyber hack that forced it to close its website for more than six weeks, costing it over £100m, and that John Lewis is trying to revive interest as it faces higher costs and a decline in consumer confidence.