2025年圣诞节广告经验报告

Lessonsin

advertising:

Christmas2025

Introduction

Everyyearasweapproachthewinterholidays,theairwavesarefilledwithfestive

storytelling.Christmasadvertisinghasbecomeasmuchapartoftheseasonaslightsonatreeorsongsontheradio.

That’sbecausetherunuptoChristmas,or“goldenquarter”spanningOctoberto

December,isoneofthemostprofitableperiodsforbrandsandretailers.It’ssucha

criticalperiodforsalesthatit’sessentialforcompaniestonailtheirholidayadvertising.

Yetthebestadsaren'tthosethatfeeloverlypromotional.Themostsuccessfularethecampaignsthattapintoemotion—thefeelingsofnostalgia,togethernessandthe

magicalfeelingoftheholidays.Theyreminduswhattheholidaysmean,whilealso

ensuringthebrandscometomindpowerfullyandpositivelyduringthenextfewcriticalshoppingmonths.

ThisyearwelookedatsomeofthebestadsfromtheUKandtheUS.

SomebrandsareknownfortheirgreatChristmasadsyearafteryear,whileotherslessso.Somebrandsreliedontheirtraditional(andsuccessful)formulas—delivering

consistencyinafreshway—whileotherstooksomerisksanddidsomethingunexpected.

We’llgothroughtheresultsandthenshareourtipsonhowyoucanmakeagreatChristmasadnextyear.

KimMalcolm

Headofadvertisingresearch

Methodology

WeanalyzedalltheadswithconsumerfeedbackfrompeopleusingZappiAmplifyAdvertising

System,amodernresearchsystemthatfuels

agile,iterativeaddevelopmentwithcontinuousconsumerfeedback.

Developedinpartnershipwithleadingglobal

brands,ZappiAmplifyAdvertisingSystem

combinesthebestofadvertisingresearch

approachestopredicthowwellanadwilldeliver

ROI,viabothshort-termsalesandlong-termbrandequity,soyoucanlearnwhatworksandwhat

doesn’ttooptimizeadsateverystepofthecreationprocess.

Themetricsused

Welookedatfivemetrics:

SalesImpact:HowlikelyistheadtodeliverROIviashort-termsalesuplift?

BrandImpact:Howlikelyistheadtobuildthebrandanddrivesalesintothefuture?

AdDistinctiveness:Istheaddifferentfromotheradsviewershaveseen?

TopScoringEmotion:Whatemotiondidtheadmakeviewersfeelmost?

BrandRecall:Didviewersspontaneouslyrecallseeinganadforthebrand?

Whythese

metricsmatter

Youcanneverlookatasingleadvertisingmetricin

isolation,becausetherearemanyelementsrequiredforsuccessfuladvertising.

Christmasadsaren’tsimplyasourceofentertainmentandawayforaudiencestogetintotheholidayspirit—theymustdrivesalesandbuildthebrandintothe

longerterm.

It’sessentialforanyChristmasadbedistinctive,

becauseithastostandouttobenoticedamidalltheotherChristmasads.

Andbecausetheholidaysareatimeofemotionalconnection,Christmasadsareknownfortheir

emotionalappeal,primarilylove.That’swhatmakesthemmemorableanddeeplyresonant.

Andfinally,viewersmustrememberthebrandinthead,otherwisethebranddoesn’tgetthebenefits!

Themesfromtheadsthisyear

Beforewegetintoindividualadperformance,here’salookatsomeoftheoverarching

themeswesaw.

1.Greatmusic

Anad’smusicchoicecanplayapivotalroleingrabbing

attention,settingthescene,evokingemotionsandultimatelycreatingamoreimmersiveexperiencefortheaudience.By

addingtotheoverallexperience,musichelpsmaketheadmorememorable.

Soit’snosurprisethatmanyofthegreatChristmasadshadagreatsoundtrack.

ManyadsusedrecognizableChristmastunestoestablishthefestivevibes,like“March”from“TheNutcracker”inPlanters’

“NutsAbouttheHolidays.”AndAsdausedacompletely

rewrittenversionof“LetItSnow”totellthewholestoryof“AVeryMerryGrinchmas”!

Manyusedinstrumentalmusictounderscoretheaction,likeSainsbury’suseofupbeatmusicorOceanSpray’sdramaticmusicthroughoutthewholead.

Andothersusedclassicsongs—butnotChristmassongs—tosetthetoneandestablishthatfeelingofnostalgia,like

JohnLewis’useof“WhereLoveLives”byAlisonLimerickor

Starbucks’useofTheProclaimers’“I’mGonnaBe(500Miles).”

2.Compellingstories

30,60or90secondsisn’tmuchtime,butsomeofthebestadsthisyearusedtheirtimeeffectivelytotellanengagingstory.

Sainsbury’s“UnexpectedGuest”islikeashortmovie

withaprotagonistandantagonist,wherethegoodguyssavethedayandthebadguyiscaughtandChristmasis

saved.

JohnLewis’“WhereLoveLives”tellsaquietstoryaboutafatherandteenagesonbroughtcloserwitha

thoughtfulgift.

Starbucks’“DrawnTogether”depictstwodrawingsonStarbuckscupsfindingtheirwaybackeachother.

Eachonetellsauniquestorythataudiencesareeagertoseeresolvedinasatisfyingway.

3.Love

Peopletendtolovethefestiveseason,andChristmasadstapintothatlovebydialinguptheemotionalconnectionanddeliveringheartwarmingstories.

Thisyear’sChristmasadsdidjustthat—nearlyeveryadwelookedatevokedmorelovethantheaverageUKorUSadbyaconsiderablemargin.

Thatdoesn’tmeanthatalltheadsweretearjerkers,manyofthemhadsomeveryfunnymoments!Butwiththe

combinationofrecognizablecharacters,nostalgic

references,greatmusicchoicesandcompellingstories,lovewinstheday.

Infact,someofthesecompellingstoriesweremorelikeminimovies,resultinginalotofpeaksofdifferent

emotions.We’realwaysimpressedwithhowmuchemotionChristmasadscanpackintoashorttime!

4.Nostalgia

EachyearweseeChristmasadstuggingatour

heartstringsbyremindingusofourchildhoodsorChristmasesofthepast.

Andthisyearwasnodifferent,asnostalgiawasakeyelementofsomanyofthebestadsthisyear.

Manyadssparkednostalgiabybringinginclassic,familiarcharactersliketheBFG,PussinBootsandfairytalecharacterslikeCinderellaandSnowWhite.

JohnLewisevoked90’snostalgiawithasongfromtheeraandaflashbacktothe90’sclubscene.Coca-Cola

usedtwodifferentformsofnostalgia—nostalgiaforitsclassic“HolidaysAreComing”adandnostalgiafor

traditionalfamilymomentsofourpast.LEGOremindedusofthemagicofplayingasachild.Andsomanymoreexamples!

Infact,it’shardtofindanexampleofanyChristmasadthatdidn’trelyonnostalgiainsomeway!

5.Classic

characters

Wesawseveralclassiccharactersacrossadsthisyear!

AsdausedtheGrinchandWalmarthadtheWhos—bothfromHowtheGrinchStoleChristmas.Coca-ColafeaturedSanta.AndOceanSprayusedKrampus—St.Nicholas’

darkcounterpartwhopunishesnaughtychildren.

Butwesawevenmorebrandsuseclassiccharactersnotassociatedwiththeholidays.SainsburybroughtbacktheBFG,BootsusedPussinBootsandmanyfairytale

charactersandLEGOusedsomefamiliarcharactersinLEGOformlikeDarthVader,BatmanandGlindaand

Elphaba.

Andfinally,wesawmanyclassicbrandcharacters.KevintheCarrot,Trevor&Connie,theM&SfairyandMr.Peanuttonameafew!

Allthesecharactersservetohelpaudiencesconnectwiththestoryandfeelstrongeremotions.

United

Kingdom

WhatwesawintheUKthisyear

TheadswelookedatarefrombrandsthatarewellknownfortheirChristmasads.

Theindustryandthegeneralpubliclookforwardtoseeing

whatthesebrandsreleaseforChristmaseachyearandhavespecificexpectationsforeachbrand.

Andtheydidnotdisappointthisyear.Wesawsomegreatads,mostscoringhighacrossallthemetricswelookedat—with

notablyhighscoresinbrandrecallandemotionalresponse.

Someadsmadeuslaugh,somemadeuscryandmostmadeusfeelupliftedandputusintheChristmasspirit.

Therewereafewsurprisesthisyear.Aldisplititsadintothreepartsreleasedoverseveralweeks.Waitrosereleaseda

four-minutefilmandran30and60second“trailers”forthat

film.AndTescofocusedonamoregrounded(andlessmagicalandoptimistic)approachtoChristmas.

Readonformoredetailoneachad.

Argos:“ThoughtWeWereJustforToys?”

ABOUTTHEAD

Argos’mascotsTrevor(atoydinosaur)andConnie(adoll)takeSimonBirdhostage

thisChristmas

!Atfirst,they’remenacingandSimonBirdis

panicked.Butsoonit’srevealedthatthey’rejusttryingtointroducehimtotheideathat“There’smoretoArgos”!Thetoyshelphimfindgiftsforhisfamily—becauseArgoshasmorethantoys—andhissisteris

surprisedwithhisnewfoundtaste.

98

Salesimpact

WHATWORKED

Thisadisfunny,lightheartedandhasabitofatwist,andaudiencesloveit!It’salsoexceptionallywell-branded,resultinginahighbrandrecall

Brandimpact94

score,thankstothepresenceofConnieandTrevorandthespecificshadeofArgosred.Whatafunandengagingwaytoexpandonthemessaging

Norm

3.7

3.9

Addistinctiveness

platformArgoshasbeenusingforovertwoyears,toldinafreshwayforChristmas!

Love

Norm

22%

36%

Unaidedbrandrecall

Norm

73%

89%

Ilikehowthetoysstartedoffsternandthenbecamefriendlywhentheymeettheirgoal.It’sbrightandshowsawidevarietyofstufftheysell(notjusttoys).

Ilikedtheactorandthehumourinit,itwasfunnyandIlikethatkindofadsomuchbetterthanthesad/emotionalonessomebrandsbringoutatChristmas.

“

Sainsbury’s:“AnUnexpectedGuest”

ABOUTTHEAD

TheBFGisbackin

Sainsbury’sChristmasad

thisyear,andtheaddeliversallthefeelingsofloveandnostalgiaofthebrand’sadlastyear—witha

funnewstory.Thistime,agreedygiantisstealingChristmasmeals,whileBFGandAnnie(arealSainsbury’semployee)replacewhat’sbeenstolen

withfoodfromSainsbury’s.Afterdefeatingthegreedygiant,AnnieinvitesBFGforChristmaslunch,sayingthatshecanmakeroomforhimon

96

Salesimpact

Christmas.Theadconcludeswiththemessage:“WanttobereadyforanythingthisChristmas?AskSainsbury’s."

WHATWORKED

Brandimpact95

Thisadisamasterclassinstorytelling!Itfeelslikeaminimoviewith

incrediblemusic,anantagonisttobeovercomeandaclearbeginning,middleandend.ItendsonahighnotethatputspeopleinthemoodforChristmas!Audienceslovethead,theBFGandallthefeelingsof

Norm

3.7

3.9

Addistinctiveness

togethernessandkindnessatChristmas.

Love

Norm

22%

41%

Unaidedbrandrecall

Norm

73%

82%

“

IlikehowtheadvertshowedgoodwinningoverandkindnessbeingattheforefrontoftheadvertwiththeBFGbeinginvitedtoChristmasdinner.Alovelyadvert.

IfeltnostalgicabouttheBFGasIusedtoreadthebookswhenIwasyounger.

Waitrose:“ThePerfectGift”

ABOUTTHEAD

Thisyear,Waitroseproduceda

4-minuteromcom

!Itfeaturesoneregularguy(JoeWilkinsonasPhil)andoneKeiraKnightleyfallinginlove.They

meetatWaitrosewhentheybothpickthesamecheeseandtheybondthroughamontageofsillymomentsandlotsoffoodatChristmastime.

FeaturingatraditionalromcommomentofmisunderstandingthatleavesPhilquestioningtherelationship,theadendswitharomanticgestureandasweetdeclarationoflove.Supportingthefilmare30and60second

94

Salesimpact

“movietrailers”runningacrossplatforms.Wetestedthe60secondtrailer.

WHATWORKED

Brandimpact86

ThistrailerperfectlycapturesromanticcomedyandChristmasvibes,it’snowonderpeopleloveit!Ittakesaudiencesonanincredibleemotional

Norm

3.7

4.0

Addistinctiveness

journey—exactlytheoneyouwouldexpectinanygreatromcomtrailer(love,laughs,surpriseandevensomesadness).RomcomsandChristmasareaperfectpair,andthiswasexecutedperfectly!

Love

Norm

22%

43%

Unaidedbrandrecall

Norm

73%

84%

Ilikethehumour,theromanceandthecosinessofthefestiveseason.Ithasapremiumfeeltoit.

It’soneofmyfavouriteofthecropthisChristmas.Lovelystorylineandfeelgoodatmosphere.

“

Asda:“AVeryMerryGrinchmas”

ABOUTTHEAD

ConcernsaboutthecostofChristmascelebrationsarehighthisyear,and

Asdaperfectlyconveyed

thatfeelingwiththewell-knownChristmas

character,theGrinch.Inareworkedversionof“LetItSnow,”afamily’sdadisshownastheGrinch,saying“no”toallholidaycheerbecauseit’stoo

expensive.Thatis,untilhestartsshoppingatAsdaanddiscoversthe

reasonableprices.WiththehelpoffestivecheerandlowAsdaprices,he’sturnedbackintohimself.TheadconcludeswithAsda’straditionalline:

93

Salesimpact

“That’sAsdaprice.”

WHATWORKED

Brandimpact93

TherelatableinsightthatChristmascancausemoneyanxietieswas

broughttolifeinafestiveandfunwayinthisad!TheGrinchwasthe

perfectcharactertoconveythissentiment,andAsda’smessageabouthowitsreasonablepricescanputanyGrinch’smindateaseshone

Norm

3.7

3.9

Addistinctiveness

through.Plus,theGrinchwasAsdagreen!Whatgreatbranding.

“

Love

Norm

22%

35%

WhatIlikedaboutthatadvertwashowrelatableitfelt.ItshowsthestresseveryonefeelsaroundChristmas,seeingallthepriceystuffandworryingaboutmoney.

Unaidedbrandrecall

Norm

83%

Ilikedthattheadvertwasfunandfestive,usingtheGrinchinacreativewaytoshowAsda’scheerfulholidayspiritandgreatvalue.

73%

Boots:“GiftHappilyEverAfter”

ABOUTTHEAD

PussinBootsis

onaperilousjourneytofindtherightgifts

thisyear,andthemagicmirroronthewalldirectshimtoBoots,ofcourse!HeispleasedwithallthechoicesBootshastooffer,andacheerfulsalesassociate

helpshimfindthebestgiftsforhisfairytalefriends.Eventhesnowqueenispleasedwithhisgift!Theyallenjoytheballwhiledancingto“Girlson

Film,”andtheadconcludeswith“GiftHappilyEverAfter.”

93

Salesimpact

WHATWORKED

PeoplelovePussinBoots!Theylaughatafewofhiskeyfunnymomentsandlovewhenhedeliversallthegiftstohisfriends.Theyalsolovethe

Brandimpact92

briefsnippetof“GirlsonFilm”attheend.TheadstandsoutandthekeyroleforBootsinthead—plusthetie-inwiththenameofthecharacterPussinBoots—maketheBootsbrandveryeasytospot!

Norm

3.7

4.0

Addistinctiveness

Love

Norm

22%

33%

Unaidedbrandrecall

Norm

73%

82%

“

ItwasafunpunonthePussinBootscharactershoppinginBoots—afun,happyChristmasstory.

Ilikedallofthead.Itmademesmile.Especiallyattheendwhen"GirlsonFilm"startsplayingandtheyalldance.

JohnLewis:“WhereLoveLives”

ABOUTTHEAD

This

two-minutead

depictsasongiftinghisfatherarecordwiththesong“WhereLoveLives”byAlisonLimerick.Uponhearingthesong,thefatherisinstantlytransportedbacktothe90’swithmemoriesofhisyoungeryearsdancingwithfriends.Healsoremembershisexperienceswithhisson

whilehewasababyandatoddler.Inthepresentday,thedadhugshissonandthankshimforthegift.Theadendswith“Ifyoucan’tfindthewords,findthegift.”

93

Salesimpact

WHATWORKED

Brandimpact75

Thisbeautiful,emotionallyresonantstoryperfectlycaptureswhatitfeelslikeasyourchildrengrowup.Theadbringsthisrelatableandprofound

Addistinctiveness

Norm

3.7

4.1

insighttolifewithfantasticemotionalstorytelling.Andtheideathat“whenyoucannotfindwords,youcanfindagift”trulyconnectswithpeople.

Love

Norm

22%

44%

Unaidedbrandrecall

Norm

73%

73%

“

Ilovedthatittappedintothedistancingofparentsandteens.Itwasbeautifullydone.

Havingyoungkidsyourealisehowquicklytheygrowandhowspecialevery

momentiswiththem,especiallyholidayslikeChristmassoitisanadvertthatreallyhitshomeandmademeemotional.

Aldi:“KevintheCarrot'sBigDay”

ABOUTTHEAD

After10yearsofKevintheCarrot,thisyear’sAldi’sChristmasadgoesbigwiththreeinstallmentsreleasedthroughtheholidayseason.

Part1

showsKevinproposingtohislong-timegirlfriendKatieand

Part2

showstheir

separatestagandhendocelebrations.Katieishavingarelaxingtimeat

thespawhileKevinisexperiencinghistypicalwackyhijinks.WillKevinfindawaytomakeittothealtarontime?

86

Salesimpact

WHATWORKED

It’sanothergreatChristmaswithKevintheCarrot!Peopleloveitwhen

Brandimpact74

KevinfirstshowsupandproposestoKatieandtheylaughatallthejokesandsillymomentsinthead,particularly“Icanseeyourdownunder!”Butwhatpeoplelovemostistheweddingscenewithallthedeliciouslookingfood!Wecan’twaittoseehowthestoryends!

Norm

3.7

3.9

Addistinctiveness

Love

Norm

22%

33%

Unaidedbrandrecall

Norm

73%

74%

“

IloveKevinsoI'mexcitedtohaveanewstorytofollow.Theanimationwasgoodandthefoodlookeddelicious.

The"tobecontinued”endingwasagreathookthatmakesmewanttoseethenextad.

M&S:“TrafficJamming”

ABOUTTHEAD

M&SbroughtbackDawnFrenchthisyearfor

itsChristmasad

,andthis

yearshe’sstuckinatrafficjamonthewaytocelebrateChristmas.Just

whenshe’sstartingtoloseit,theM&Sfairy—alsovoicedbyDawnFrenchforthe5thyearinarow—joinsherandturnsanM&Struckintoa

beautifulChristmasparty!Onthefairy’surging,Dawnincludesallthe

otherpeoplestuckintraffic,offeringthemadeliciousspreadofM&Sfood.There’sevenaquickcameofromchefTomKerridge!Theadendswith:

84

Salesimpact

“Thisisnotjustfood,it’sM&SChristmasfood.”

WHATWORKED

Brandimpact89

BringingbacktheM&SfairyandDawnFrenchhelpstheM&Sbrandstandoutinthisad.Butthefoodisstillthestaroftheshow!WhilepeoplelaughatallthekeymomentsfromDawn,weseethehighestspikeofloveoccurwhenshestartspassingoutthefood.Whatagreatexampleofafestive

Norm

3.7

3.8

Addistinctiveness

andfunadthatkeepstheproductatthecenter!

Love

Norm

22%

34%

Unaidedbrandrecall

Norm

73%

83%

“

IlikethepartnershipbetweenDawnandthefairy.Dawn'sreactiontohavingtosharethefoodisquitefunny.Thetablesoffoodlookveryinviting.

Ilikeeverythingaboutthead,especiallythepartwhereeveryonewashappybecauseitwasChristmasseasonandwereeagertoeatthefood.

Tesco:“That’sWhatMakesItChristmas”

ABOUTTHEAD

Tesco’sChristmascampaign

takesamoregrounded,down-to-earthviewoffamiliesatChristmas.Fromtwoadultbrothersfightingoverwhichonemumlovesmore,toafamilywithyoungchildrenstrugglingtotakejust

onedecentChristmaspicture,thisadremindsusthatChristmasisn’t

51

perfect,but“That’swhatmakesitChristmas.”Thecampaignincludesaseriesofshortscenesbrokeninto10,20and30secondads,aswellasa1-minutecompilationthatwetestedhere.

Salesimpact

WHATWORKED

Lookingattheoverallaudience,thisadscoresaboutaverageonmost

Brandimpact56

metrics—fallinginthetophalfofUKads.Peopleseeitasrelevanttotheirlives(Relevance:3.6vs.3.4norm),soTescotappedintoaninsightthat

resonates.AndtheTescobrandstandsoutandisrememberedinthead.

Norm

3.7

3.6

Addistinctiveness

Butwhileit'srelatableandreal,itisn'twhateveryonewants.Afewdescribeitasgloomy,downbeatornotfestiveenough.

Love

Norm

22%

27%

Unaidedbrandrecall

Norm

73%

83%

“

ItshowedtherealsideofChristmasratherthaneverythingbeingwonderful.

IlikethatitisbeingrealandsayingthattheChristmasseasonisnotperfectbutitisstillamazingbybringingourclosestfamilyandfriendstogetherforit.

Moreon“That’sWhatMakesItChristmas”

DIGGINGDEEPER

Olderaudiencesinparticularfindtherealismlessenticing,asperhapstheywantgreaterpositivity,nostalgiaandmagictoencouragetheirfamiliestocomehomeforChristmas.

Butwhenwelookcloseratjustyoungeraudiences—thoseunder45—weseeadifferentpicture.Theadfallsinthetop20%ofUKadsforthisgroup.Youngeraudiencesenjoytheadmore,finditmorerelevantanditmakes

themfeelgoodabouttheTescobrand(BrandAppeal:4.1vs.3.9norm).

Butmoreimportantly,theyfeelstrongeremotionswhenwatchingit.Theylaughmoreatsomeofthefunniermoments,includingthedogsrunning

downthestairsandthebrothersfighting,andtheyfeelalotmoreloveforthefinallineattheend,“Christmasisn’tperfect,butthat’swhatmakesitChristmas.”

SowhilethisapproachmaynotfeellikeatraditionalChristmasad,thatdoesn’tmeanit’sunsuccessful.

Theadfeelsrelatable,andworkswellwithaudiencesunder45.Weapplaudthebolddirection!

Norm

3.8

3.9

Norm

28%

39%

Norm

65%

76%

Salesimpact

81

Brandimpact88

Addistinctiveness

Love

Unaidedbrandrecall

Adultsunder45

United

States

WhatwesawintheUSthisyear

WhiletheChristmasseasoncanbeconsideredthe“SuperBowl”ofUKadvertising,there’sabitlessaudienceattentiononUSholidayads.Therearefewerexpectationsforwhatthesebrandswill

release.Butit’sstillcriticalforUSbrandstogettheirholidayadvertisingright.

WelookedatsomeofthebiggestandmostbuzzworthyUSadsfromretailersandbrandsthisyear.

Therewerehighlevelsofloveformostoftheseads,andmanywereverydistinctive.ButwedidseelowerlevelsofbrandrecallformanyoftheUSads.Thebrandsthatoutscoredthenormwerethosethatmadetheirbrandtheclearheroofthestory(likeWalmart)orusedtheirveryrecognizabledistinctivebrandassets(likeStarbucks,

Coca-ColaandLEGO).

Therewereafewsurprisesheretoo.OceanSpray’stonewas

differentthantheothers,optingformorelaughterandlesslove.

Coca-Colareleasedtwoverydifferentads—oneAI-generatedversionofitsclassic“HolidaysAreComing”andanothermorepersonalstoryofawomanandherfamilyChristmasmemories.

Readonformoredetailoneachad.

Planters:“NutsAbouttheHolidays”

ABOUTTHEAD

Tchaikovsky’s“March”from“TheNutcracker”—aclassic

Christmas-themedballet—setstheChristmastone

inthisad

.Whilethe

musicplays,weenteraPlantersfactoryandseeMr.PeanutsetPlanters

nutsinmotionthroughmachinery.Intimewiththemusic,thenutsare

crackedbynutcrackers,transportedbyconveyorbelts,toastedinthefireandevenswirledaroundinasnowglobe.Theyendtheirjourneyin

95

Planterspackagingandtheadremindsusto“OpentheMagic.”

Salesimpact

WHATWORKED

Whatasimple,festiveadthatgetspeopleintheholidayspirit!“Nuts

AbouttheHolidays”reallystandsout,andpeoplelovedthecombination

Brandimpact94

ofholidaymusicpairedwithengagingvisuals.Infact,loveisthedominantemotionfromstarttofinish.It’sanadwecanwatchoverandoveragain—itcouldeasilybecomeaholidayclassic!

Norm

3.7

4.3

Addistinctiveness

Love

Norm

27%

47%

Unaidedbrandrecall

Norm

70%

70%

“Ilikedthefestiveholidayvibeofthead.Lovethenutcrackersspittingoutthenuts.

AndthePlantersnutguyinspectingthenuts.

IloveseeingthenutcrackersandgavemeChristmasvibes.

Ilovealltheholidaycolors.Ilovehowthenutcrackersgowiththemusic.

Coca-Cola:“HolidaysAreComing”

ABOUTTHEAD

Coca-ColausedAItorecreateitsclassic

“HolidaysAreComing”

forthe

secondtimethisyear.ThisversionfeaturesSantaClausopeningabottle

ofCoca-ColaandsettingatoyCoca-Colatruckdowninatoytown.Astheclassic“HolidaysAreComing”songplays,thetrucktravelsthroughvariousscenesofdifferentanimals—polarbears,pandas,bunnies—lookingoninaweaseverythinglightsuparoundthem.

94

Salesimpact

WHATWORKED

Peoplelovethisad!IthasthehighestlovescoreofanyoftheUSadswe

Brandimpact94

lookedat.Theylovethemusic,thecuteanimals,theCoca-ColatrucksandSanta.Theadisincrediblydistinctiveandverywellbranded—there’snomistakingthatthisadisforanybrandbutCoca-Cola.Theremighthave

beensomecontroversyintheindustryabouttheuseofAI,butaudiencesloveit.Andwhocanblamethem,the“HolidaysAreComing”songgets

Norm

3.7

4.4

Addistinctiveness

everyoneinthefestivemood!

Love

Norm

27%

55%

Unaidedbrandrecall

Norm

70%

83%

“

Ilovedthesceneswiththecuteanimalspoppingoutofhidingplaces,excitedtoseetheCoca-Colatrucksgoingbybecauseitmeanstheholidaysarecoming.

Itfeltlikea'90sCoca-ColaChristmascommercial,itfeltnostalgic.

Divingdeeper:

TouseAI

ornottouseAI

Coca-Cola’suseofAIforthisholidayadwascontroversial—particularlyinmarketingandadvertisingcircles.

Butwhatwehavetorememberisthatwhattheindustrytalksaboutisn’talwayswhattheaudiencecaresabout.Andtherealityisthataudienceslovedit.

Coca-Colahasbeenusingredtrucks,Santa,lightsandthe“HolidaysAreComing”songintheirholidayadvertisingfordecades—soallofthathistoryisbuiltintothosebrand

assets.Audiencesseethosethingsandlovethead.Itallevokesfeelingsofnostalgiaandanticipationfortheholidaysandimmediatelycuesthebrand,especiallyamongolderaudienceswhohavemoreyearsofexperiencewiththesebrandassets.

Whatwe’vefoundisthatwhenanadtellsagoodstoryandmakespeoplefeel

something,mostdon’tcare(ornotice)thatAIwasusedsomewhereintheprocess.

However,it’sworthnotingthatforthefirsttimeinourresearch,wesawavocalfew

recognizingandreactingtotheAIinthead.Notenoughtoaffectthesuccessofthisad,butsomethingtokeepaneyeonastimegoeson.

Inthefuture,AIinadvertisingwillbecomealotmorecommon,soit’sworthittostartexperimentingnow.Thentesttheoutcomeswithrealconsumers.Youneverknowhowaudienceswillreact.

READMORE

Aboutthistopicinour

StateofCreativeEffectivenessreport

Crayola:“BlueChristmas”

ABOUTTHEAD

Crayola

bringsusthestoryofalittlegirlwhodiscoversthatdogscan’t

seethecolorsredorgreen,whichmeansherdogcan’tseeanyofthe

household’sholidaydecorations!Sheenliststhehelpofherfamily—andherCrayolacrayons—tocreatenewholidaydecorationscompletelyin

blue.Onceshe’sdone,herdogcanenjoytheholidaystoo!Theadendswith“It’snotwhatyougive,it’swhatyoucreate.”

94

Salesimpact

WHATWORKED

Whatasweetstorycenteredontheloveachildfeelsforherdog!Peopleloveitfromthesecondtheadbegins,andtheirloveonlygrowsasthe

Brandimpact91

storyunfolds—endingonanincrediblehighnote.Audiencesfindthe

storyheartwarmingandsweetandtheyappreciatethefeelingsof

togethernessandinclusi