John Lewis, one of the U.K.'s most famous advertisers, this week unveiled a new brand platform "For all life's moments," designed to showcase how its products are high quality and affordable for every moment of people's lives. What it couldn't have been anticipating is that one of those would be the momentous death of Queen Elizabeth II.

The campaign had kicked off on Thursday with a sentimental TV spot created by Adam&Eve/DDB, which follows the journey of a father and daughter, all the way from babyhood to starting school. John Lewis confirmed it had put it on temporary pause following the death of Queen Elizabeth the same day, with a spokeswoman adding: "We are deeply saddened by the death of Her Majesty The Queen and we extend our heartfelt sympathy to The Royal Family.  Wherever possible we have paused our advertising campaigns temporarily."

Designed for the 'moments economy'

The spot, directed by Juan Cabral via MJZ, showcases a myriad of John Lewis products, from baby carriers to clothing, high chairs to washing machines, as the pair negotiate the highs and lows of parenthood. Set to the soundtrack of "La La Lu" by Peggy Lee, the TV ad will be part of multi-channel campaign. Media, planned by Manning Gottlieb OMD, will include out-of-home, press and social, as well as owned channels.

The new "For all Life's Moments" platform comes as research by the brand shows that post-Covid and with rising living costs, people are spending more on enjoying day-do-day life rather than expensive luxuries. The brand has referred to the new trend as the "moments economy."

“To launch our brand promise, we wanted to tell a story about the way John Lewis plays an important role in those moments that really matter to our customers," said Claire Pointon, John Lewis Customer Director, in a statement. "Our ad achieves this in a beautiful and moving way - showing how we are there for those cherished family moments as well as the big milestones for which we are renowned.”

The strategy of following the everyday moments of life with products seems reminiscent of Ikea's campaign from Scandinavia, "Where Life Happens" as well its U.K. campaign The Wonderful Everyday. However, unlike with Ikea, there is no overt branding or pricing tagged to the John Lewis products featured in the film.