The UK public’s positive feelings towards Christmas ads are at their highest levels since measurements began, owing much to a strong festive showing last year.
Revealed by new data from insights firm Kantar, as many as 59% of people say they ‘love’ Christmas TV ads, up from 51% last year, with 56% adding that they were ‘really looking forward to seeing Christmas ads on TV’, up from 48% in 2023.
According to Kantar, TV is still very much king when it comes to festive ads, with one in four Brits saying that when they reach for the remote, John Lewis’s blockbuster spots are what they’re most excited to see.
“Advertisers really raised the bar last year, and the festive fervour we’re seeing now reflects that. People were looking for a dose of humour, and while the cracker jokes didn’t always land, broadly speaking the ads did – 32% of people now say Christmas ads have made them laugh – a big leap from 25% last year,” Kantar head of creative excellence, Lynne Deason said.
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“Emotive storytelling is really powerful, and it has helped John Lewis’ ads make their mark in the cultural calendar each year. But our survey shows that building on the same creative ideas, and also freshening them up, is an often-overlooked feature of the ads that are most hotly anticipated by the public.
She continued: “Brands reusing ads or developing creative content within an existing campaign often have a head start over those working on completely new ideas. People are more likely to notice and pay attention to these ads and remember which brand they are for. After John Lewis, people were most excited about Coca-Cola’s nostalgia and feel-good factor, and the entertaining Kevin the Carrot helped Aldi claim third place.”
“Good creative shouldn’t disappear with the last of the eggnog. We saw record numbers of people this year saying they wish advertising throughout the year was as good as at Christmas, and there are plenty of characteristics that people enjoy about festive ads that marketers can draw on all year round – such as humour, memorable music or engaging stories.”
This excitement is however tempered to a certain extent as two-thirds of all respondents felt that Christmas ads appear ‘too early’, although the data did indicate that brands who were proactive over the festive period fared better than their rivals.
