Originally published on Campaign Live 18.11.25

For the brands looking to connect, masculinity is a more complex landscape to navigate than ever. 

The Christmas season is the most important time of year for UK retailers; the biggest moment in advertising when the public eagerly awaits and judges its favourite offers from the big brands. In such a crowded, noisy marketplace, standing out is no small feat. Unless you’re selling very specific items, most brands chase maximum reach and engagement across the board, which is why the highly anticipated John Lewis Christmas campaign "Where love lives" caught my eye.

Maybe its choice to feature a father/son dynamic was to balance the representation scales after last year’s focus on two sisters. But I’d like to think it sees the male demographic as an interesting growth opportunity. 

Why? First, the topic of masculinity remains a big talking point. It’s no surprise that Adolescence was Netflix’s big hit this year. Also, men are, in many ways, an undervalued consumer group. They overspend women in more categories than we think, including entertainment and transportation, tend to be less price sensitive, and are often more impulsive buyers, unwilling to wait for sales or discounts.

More men live alone or make purchasing decisions without consultation than in previous generations. Yet, there are still fewer ads that speak directly to them, meaning those that do can achieve standout with the demographic. John Lewis isn’t the only brand to recognise this; Peloton traditionally skewed its marketing towards women but started targeting millennial males a year ago with its "Find your push. Find your power ads" featuring two US football players.

For the brands looking to connect, masculinity is a more complex landscape to navigate than ever. It is a polarised, transitional topic, and there’s still less understanding of men as consumers compared with women; Kantar data confirms this gap. So, when brands take on men’s worlds, the challenge is not just commercial, but cultural and emotional, suggesting it could translate into strong business results. But beyond data, I find it emotionally true and relatable, especially as a father of a teenage boy myself. Still, not everyone saw it the same way and it has provoked some mixed feelings from both men and women. I think it’s worth exploring why. 

Understanding the emotional truth

Teenagers naturally show less affection to their parents and that’s just part of growing up. It’s not that love disappears but teenage emotions are messy. They’re learning independence and defining their identity; sometimes that means stepping back emotionally. But then insecurities and the need for parental support may return with a rush and you’ll find them watching favourite childhood TV shows or wanting to share in family time.

On the parents' side, there’s a similar process. As we see our children become more independent, we also step back a little, trusting that they’re building their own personality. Again, that doesn’t mean there’s less love, just that expressions of affection take a quieter form.

I see the John Lewis film as capturing exactly these feelings. Christmas becomes a safe ritual to reconnect emotionally; it’s a moment when showing affection feels natural again. That final hug and laugh between father and son are not just sentimental gestures; they’re the real emotional payoff.

In the current debate about masculinity, some men might perceive this kind of emotional portrayal as a call-out, or even as inauthentic or opportunistic. Research from Equimundo and Beyond Equality this year shows that more than 80% of UK fathers see being a dad as the most important job in the world.

So, when an ad comes along showing fatherhood through a sentimental, straightforward lens, some people expect a deeper tension or "Aha!" moment, something that pushes the conversation forward. Without that, it can feel flat to some viewers, or even irritating to those who think: "We already know this. We don’t need to be told how to love our kids."

And that’s fair.

The John Lewis story doesn’t necessarily want to transform masculinity. It’s not trying to change the world, it’s a simple emotional tale for Christmas. But in today’s cultural climate, even simplicity can feel provocative.

Where the ad could’ve gone further

If there’s one area I think John Lewis might have explored further, it’s expanding the emotional frame. I wonder if the same story had been shifted one generation up (a middle-aged man giving a meaningful present to his 70-year-old father and receiving that hug back, witnessed by the teenage son), the emotion would deepen and the message would expand.

Why? Because the previous generation of UK men often struggled to show affection not from lack of love but due to the social codes they inherited. Many of those moments of tenderness were "thrown in the bin" never expressed. Showing a father and son breaking that silence could have created the transformative tension. It would be the true "Aha!" moment that resonates across generations.

Still, I celebrate what John Lewis has achieved. It’s an honest, beautifully crafted story rooted in real human emotion. 

Engaging men emotionally not as stereotypes, but as consumers with complex inner lives, is not just the right thing to do culturally, it’s a business goldmine. When brands dare to speak to men in new, emotionally intelligent ways, they not only open up commercial growth but also help men reconnect with parts of themselves the world rarely acknowledges.

And that, perhaps, is the most meaningful "Aha!" of all.