In May this year, actress Daisy May Cooper came clean about the real, messy and hilarious experience of motherhood – and Mother’s Day gifts in a social series by Saatchi & Saatchi UK for John Lewis. It Father’s Day in two weeks now, and the partners have enlisted comedian, Tom Davis, in a new six-part social series, The Honest Dad Unboxing, to help the UK become better gifters and put an end to disappointing ‘dad-tat’.

Built on the insight that Father’s Day is full of well-meaning but often underwhelming presents, the campaign taps into a familiar tension – dads say they don’t want anything, while secretly hoping for something good. The campaign spotlights John Lewis as the destination for more thoughtful gifting all year round, helping shoppers find the gifts dads will genuinely value. 

In the series, Tom opens a range of Father’s Day presents, all of which are available to buy in John Lewis, including a FIFA World Cup LEGO set “for a fully grown man”, a portable BBQ , New Balance trainers, a Nespresso coffee machine, “proper-nice” Tom Ford fragrance that shows “someone’s family loves them”, and Clinique skincare, which Tom jokes he usually “steals from his wife.”

Tom Davis commented, “As a dad myself, I obviously look forward to Father’s Day but there’s only so much No.1 dad merch I can face. To help the dads out there get the gifts they really want, I was more than happy to join forces with John Lewis for their honest unboxing. Meant I could drop a couple of hints myself eh?”

Rosie Hanley, brand director at John Lewis, added, “Despite everyone’s best intentions, Father’s Day is often beset by low-effort gifting, with many still struggling for inspiration when it matters. At John Lewis, we believe great gifting is about more than just the product – it’s about finding something that genuinely reflects the person you’re buying for. We’re focused on making it easier to find truly thoughtful, quality gifts, and our campaign with Tom Davis taps into his trademark comedy and honesty, to show that with the right inspiration, meaningful gifting doesn’t have to be difficult.”

Caroline Paris, head of creative, Saatchi & Saatchi, stated, “Father’s Day has become a minefield of questionable presents, because apparently every dad wants a “Best Dad trophy”, hot sauce, or a gadget he’ll use exactly once. That gave us a relatable space to play in. With Tom Davis at the centre of the campaign, we created something funny, honest and reassuringly unpolished, gently steering people towards presents Dad might actually want this Father’s Day.”

The campaign is running from June 8 across paid and organic social, including YouTube, Meta and Reddit, until Father’s Day.

Credits:
Client: John Lewis
Chief Customer Officer: Anna Braithwaite
Brand Director: Rosie Hanley
Brand Marketing Lead: Amy Tippen-Smith
Senior Marketing Campaign Manager: Emma Rule
Snr Marketing Brand Executive: Allie Baker

Advertising Agency:  Saatchi & Saatchi
CCO: Franki Goodwin
Chief Production Officer: Jessica Ringshall
Head of Integrated Creative: Caroline Paris
Creatives: Molly Ohayon & Issie Peach
Groupe Strategy Director: Polly Whitton
Senior Social Strategist: Hayley Smith
Planner: Phoebe Lyons
Business Lead: Isaac Hickinbottom
Account Director: Lupien Troelstra
Account Manager: Dhara Chauhan
Associate Executive Producer: Stephanie Evans
Business Affairs Manager: Liz Staley 
Media Agency: OMD Manning Gottlieb

Production Company: Crack @ You Are Here
Director: Caroline Paris 
Executive Producer: Jeremy Goold 
Producer: Hannah Malpas   
Production Assistant: Jonah Sugden
DoP: Amelia Hazlerigg
Production Designer: Michelle Sotheren

Editing: Stitch Editing 
Editor: Laura Zvarikova
Executive Producer: Angela Hart
Grade: Harbor Picture Company 
Colourist: Megan Lee
Executive Producer: Abi Klimaszewska
Sound House: 750 Mph 
Sound Engineer: Matthew Valentine 
Music Supervision: Wake The Town
Music Supervisor: Tom Wigley