John Lewis responds to Christmas advert backlash as viewers fume 'men don’t exist'
manchestereveningnews.co.ukJohn Lewis has defended the content of its new Christmas advert following criticism from some viewers on social media. The 2023 upbeat festive ad was shown for the first time today (Thursday, November 9) and follows the light-hearted story of a young boy whose grow-your-own Christmas tree turns out to be a mischievous Venus flytrap.
But some people have been upset that the advert did not include a male role model. John Lewis has been quick to defend its choice this year, sharing this message on social media platform X (formerly Twitter): "This ad shows a mum and a grandma.
We always attempt to show a broad representation of British life, single parent families make up nearly a quarter of families with dependent children in the UK and they aren’t often shown on TV." The response came after some viewers were unhappy at the lack of a Dad or Grandad character in the advert's story. @AMuzzlewhite1 wrote: "You could have at least slipped a token Grandad into the mix.
Apparently men don’t exist at Christmas for whoever runs your marketing team. Lots of single Dads out there as well but much more important to look inclusive by excluding 50% of the population.
Read more on manchestereveningnews.co.uk