John Lewis takes aim at disappointing Father’s Day gifting

John Lewis is taking aim at disappointing Father’s Day gifting with The Honest Dad Unboxing, a six-part social series fronted by actor and comedian Tom Davis.

Created with Saatchi & Saatchi and running until Father’s Day on 21 June, the campaign turns Davis’s dry wit loose on a pile of presents to steer shoppers away from predictable dad-tat.

It rests on a familiar tension: dads insist they want nothing, while secretly hoping for something good.

Davis unboxes gifts all available at John Lewis, from a FIFA World Cup LEGO set “for a fully grown man” to New Balance trainers, a Nespresso machine and Tom Ford fragrance, reacting with the honesty most Father’s Day mornings lack.

Following the retailer’s Mother’s Day work with Daisy May Cooper, it frames John Lewis as a year-round destination for thoughtful gifting, picking up the dad-and-son emotion of its 2025 Christmas campaign and the wit of its recent football tie-up.

Rosie Hanley, Brand Director at John Lewis, said: “Despite everyone’s best intentions, Father’s Day is often beset by low-effort gifting, with many still struggling for inspiration when it matters. 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 at Saatchi & Saatchi, said: “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. 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.”