Lessonsinadvertising:Christmas2025Everyyearasweapproachthewinterholidays,theairwavesare?lledwithfestivestorytelling.Christmasadvertisinghasbecomeasmuchapartoftheseasonaslights

onatreeorsongsontheradio.That’sbecausetherunuptoChristmas,or“goldenquarter”spanningOctobertoDecember,isoneofthemostpro?tableperiodsforbrandsandretailers.It’ssuchacriticalperiodforsalesthatit’sessentialforcompaniestonailtheirholidayadvertising.Yetthebestadsaren'tthosethatfeeloverlypromotional.

Themostsuccessfularethe

campaignsthattapintoemotion—thefeelingsofnostalgia,

togethernessandthemagicalfeelingoftheholidays.

Theyreminduswhattheholidaysmean,whilealsoensuringthebrandscometomindpowerfullyandpositivelyduringthenextfewcritical

shoppingmonths.ThisyearwelookedatsomeofthebestadsfromtheUKandtheUS.SomebrandsareknownfortheirgreatChristmasadsyearafteryear,whileothersless

so.Somebrandsreliedontheirtraditional(andsuccessful)formulas—deliveringconsistencyinafreshway—whileotherstooksomerisksanddidsomething

unexpected.We’llgothroughtheresultsandthenshareourtipsonhowyoucanmakeagreat

Christmasadnext

year.KimMalcolmHead

of

advertisingresearchIntroductionMethodologyWeanalyzedalltheadswithconsumerfeedback

from

peopleusingZappiAmplifyAdvertisingSystem,amodernresearchsystemthatfuelsagile,iterativeaddevelopmentwithcontinuous

consumerfeedback.Developedinpartnershipwithleadingglobalbrands,ZappiAmplifyAdvertisingSystemcombinesthebestofadvertisingresearchapproachestopredicthowwellanadwilldeliverROI,viabothshort-termsalesandlong-termbrand

equity,soyoucanlearnwhatworksandwhatdoesn’ttooptimizeadsateverystepofthe

creationprocess.Themetrics

usedWelookedat?ve

metrics:SalesImpact:How

likelyisthead

to

deliver

ROI

viashort-termsalesuplift?BrandImpact:Howlikelyisthe

adto

build

the

brandanddrivesalesintothefuture?AdDistinctiveness:Istheaddi?erentfromother

adsviewershaveseen?TopScoringEmotion:Whatemotiondidthead

makeviewersfeelmost?BrandRecall:Didviewersspontaneouslyrecall

seeinganadforthebrand?WhythesemetricsmatterYoucanneverlookatasingle

advertising

metric

inisolation,becausetherearemanyelementsrequired

forsuccessfuladvertising.Christmasadsaren’tsimplyasourceofentertainment

andawayforaudiencestogetintotheholidayspirit

—theymustdrivesalesandbuildthebrandintothelongerterm.It’sessentialforanyChristmasadbedistinctive,becauseithastostandouttobenoticedamidallthe

otherChristmasads.Andbecausetheholidaysareatimeofemotional

connection,Christmasadsareknownfortheiremotionalappeal,primarilylove.

That’swhatmakes

themmemorableanddeeplyresonant.And?nally,viewersmustrememberthebrandinthe

ad,otherwisethebranddoesn’tgetthebene?ts!Themes

from

theads

this

yearBeforewegetintoindividualadperformance,here’salookatsomeoftheoverarchingthemeswesaw.1.Great

musicAnad’smusicchoicecanplay

a

pivotal

rolein

grabbingattention,settingthescene,evokingemotionsandultimately

creatingamoreimmersiveexperiencefortheaudience.Byaddingtotheoverallexperience,musichelpsmakethead

morememorable.Soit’snosurprisethatmanyofthegreatChristmasadshada

greatsoundtrack.ManyadsusedrecognizableChristmastunestoestablishthe

festivevibes,like“March”from“TheNutcracker”in

Planters’“NutsAbouttheHolidays.”AndAsdausedacompletelyrewrittenversionof“LetItSnow”totellthewholestoryof“A

VeryMerry

Grinchmas”!Manyusedinstrumentalmusictounderscoretheaction,like

Sainsbury’suseofupbeatmusicorOceanSpray’s

dramatic

musicthroughoutthewholead.Andothersusedclassicsongs—butnotChristmassongs—

tosetthetoneandestablishthatfeelingofnostalgia,likeJohnLewis’useof“WhereLove

Lives”

byAlison

Limerick

orStarbucks’useofTheProclaimers’

“I’mGonnaBe(500Miles).”30,60or90secondsisn’tmuchtime,butsomeofthe

bestadsthisyearusedtheirtimee?ectivelytotellan

engagingstory.Sainsbury’s“UnexpectedGuest”islikeashort

moviewithaprotagonistandantagonist,wherethegoodguys

savethedayandthebadguyiscaughtandChristmasissaved.JohnLewis’

“WhereLoveLives”tellsaquietstory

about

afatherandteenagesonbroughtcloserwithathoughtfulgift.Starbucks’

“DrawnTogether”depictstwodrawingson

Starbuckscups?ndingtheirwaybackeachother.Eachonetellsauniquestorythataudiencesareeager

to

see

resolved

in

a

satisfying

way.2.Compelling

stories3.LovePeopletendtolovethefestiveseason,andChristmasads

tapintothat

love

bydialinguptheemotionalconnectionand

delivering

heartwarming

stories.Thisyear’sChristmasadsdid

justthat—nearlyeveryad

welookedatevokedmore

lovethantheaverage

UKor

US

adbyaconsiderablemargin.Thatdoesn’tmeanthatalltheadsweretearjerkers,many

ofthemhadsomeveryfunnymoments!Butwiththecombinationofrecognizablecharacters,nostalgicreferences,greatmusicchoicesandcompellingstories,

lovewinstheday.Infact,someofthesecompellingstoriesweremorelike

minimovies,resultinginalot

of

peaksof

di?erentemotions.We’realwaysimpressedwithhowmuch

emotionChristmasadscanpackintoashorttime!EachyearweseeChristmasadstuggingatourheartstrings

byremindingusofourchildhoodsorChristmases

of

the

past.Andthisyearwasnodi?erent,asnostalgiawasakey

elementofsomanyofthebestadsthisyear.Manyadssparkednostalgiabybringingin

classic,

familiarcharactersliketheBFG,PussinBootsand

fairytalecharacterslikeCinderellaandSnowWhite.JohnLewisevoked90’snostalgiawithasongfromthe

eraanda?ashbacktothe90’sclubscene.Coca-Colausedtwodi?erentformsofnostalgia—nostalgiaforits

classic“HolidaysAreComing”adandnostalgiafortraditionalfamilymomentsofourpast.LEGO

reminded

usofthemagicofplayingasachild.

And

so

many

more

examples!Infact,it’shardto?ndanexampleofanyChristmasad

that

didn’t

relyonnostalgiainsomeway!4.Nostalgia5.ClassiccharactersWesawseveralclassiccharactersacrossadsthisyear!AsdausedtheGrinchandWalmarthadtheWhos—both

from

HowtheGrinchStoleChristmas.Coca-Colafeatured

Santa.

AndOceanSprayusedKrampus—St.Nicholas’darkcounterpartwhopunishesnaughtychildren.Butwesawevenmorebrandsuseclassiccharactersnot

associatedwiththeholidays.Sainsburybroughtbackthe

BFG,BootsusedPussinBootsandmanyfairytalecharactersandLEGOusedsomefamiliarcharactersin

LEGOformlikeDarthVader,BatmanandGlinda

andElphaba.And?nally,wesawmanyclassicbrandcharacters.Kevin

theCarrot,

Trevor&Connie,theM&Sfairyand

Mr.Peanut

toname

afew!Allthesecharactersservetohelpaudiencesconnectwith

the

story

and

feel

stronger

emotions.UnitedKingdomWhatwesawinthe

UK

thisyearTheadswelookedatarefrombrandsthatarewellknownfor

theirChristmasads.TheindustryandthegeneralpubliclookforwardtoseeingwhatthesebrandsreleaseforChristmaseachyearandhave

speci?cexpectationsforeachbrand.Andtheydidnotdisappointthisyear.Wesawsomegreatads,

mostscoringhighacrossallthemetricswelookedat—withnotablyhighscoresinbrandrecallandemotionalresponse.Someadsmadeuslaugh,somemadeuscryandmostmadeus

feelupliftedandputusintheChristmasspirit.Therewereafewsurprisesthisyear.

Aldisplititsadintothree

partsreleasedoverseveralweeks.Waitrosereleasedafour-minute?lmandran30and60second“trailers”forthat?lm.

AndTescofocusedonamoregrounded(andlessmagical

andoptimistic)approachtoChristmas.Readonformoredetailoneach

ad.ABOUT

THE

ADArgos’mascotsTrevor(atoydinosaur)andConnie(adoll)takeSimonBird

hostagethisChristmas!At?rst,they’remenacingandSimonBirdispanicked.Butsoonit’srevealedthatthey’re

justtryingtointroducehim

totheideathat“There’smoretoArgos”!Thetoyshelphim?ndgiftsfor

hisfamily—becauseArgoshasmorethantoys—andhissisterissurprisedwithhisnewfoundtaste.WHATWORKEDThisadisfunny,lightheartedandhasabitofatwist,andaudienceslove

it!It’salsoexceptionallywell-branded,resultinginahigh

brand

recallscore,

thankstothepresenceofConnieandTrevorandthespeci?cshade

ofArgosred.WhatafunandengagingwaytoexpandonthemessagingplatformArgoshasbeenusingforovertwoyears,toldinafreshwayfor

Christmas!Ilikehowthetoys

startedo?sternandthen

becamefriendlywhentheymeettheir

goal.It’sbrightandshowsawidevarietyofstu?theysell(not

just

toys).Ilikedtheactorandthe

humourinit,itwasfunnyandIlikethatkindofadso

much

betterthanthe

sad/emotionalonessome

brandsbringoutat

Christmas.Argos:“ThoughtWeWereJustforToys?”Sales

impact98Brand

impact

94

Ad

distinctivenessUnaidedbrand

recallLove

Norm3.7Norm22%Norm73%“36%89%3.9ABOUT

THE

ADTheBFGisbackinSainsbury’sChristmasad

thisyear,andtheaddelivers

allthefeelingsofloveandnostalgiaofthebrand’sadlastyear—withafunnewstory.

Thistime,agreedygiantisstealingChristmasmeals,while

BFGandAnnie(arealSainsbury’semployee)replacewhat’sbeenstolenwithfoodfromSainsbury’s.

Afterdefeatingthegreedygiant,

Annieinvites

BFGforChristmaslunch,sayingthatshecanmakeroomfor

himonChristmas.

Theadconcludeswiththemessage:“Wanttobereadyfor

anythingthisChristmas?AskSainsbury’s."WHATWORKEDThisadisamasterclassinstorytelling!Itfeels

likea

mini

moviewithincrediblemusic,anantagonisttobeovercomeandaclearbeginning,

middleandend.Itendsonahighnotethatputspeopleinthemoodfor

Christmas!Audienceslovethead,theBFGandallthefeelingsoftogethernessandkindnessatChristmas.“Ilikehowtheadvertshowedgoodwinningover

and

kindness

being

atthe

forefront

oftheadvertwiththeBFGbeing

invitedto

Christmasdinner.Alovelyadvert.IfeltnostalgicabouttheBFGasIusedtoreadthebooks

when

Iwas

younger.Sainsbury’s:“AnUnexpectedGuest”Sales

impact96Brand

impact

95

Ad

distinctivenessUnaidedbrand

recallLove

Norm3.7Norm22%Norm73%82%41%3.9ABOUT

THE

ADThisyear,Waitroseproduceda4-minuteromcom!Itfeaturesoneregular

guy(JoeWilkinsonasPhil)andoneKeira

Knightleyfalling

in

love.

TheymeetatWaitrosewhentheybothpickthesamecheeseandtheybond

throughamontageofsillymomentsandlotsoffoodatChristmastime.Featuringatraditionalromcommomentofmisunderstandingthatleaves

Philquestioningtherelationship,theadendswitharomanticgestureand

asweetdeclarationoflove.Supportingthe?lmare30and60second“movietrailers”runningacrossplatforms.Wetestedthe60secondtrailer.WHATWORKEDThistrailerperfectlycapturesromanticcomedyandChristmasvibes,it’s

nowonderpeopleloveit!Ittakesaudiencesonanincredibleemotionaljourney—exactlytheoneyouwouldexpectinanygreatromcomtrailer

(love,laughs,surpriseandevensomesadness).RomcomsandChristmas

areaperfectpair,andthiswasexecutedperfectly!Ilikethehumour,the

romance

andthecosinessofthefestiveseason.

Ithasa

premiumfeeltoit.It’soneofmyfavouriteofthecropthis

Christmas.Lovelystorylineandfeelgood

atmosphere.Sales

impact94Brand

impact

86

Waitrose:“The

Perfect

Gift”Ad

distinctivenessUnaidedbrand

recallLove

Norm3.7Norm22%Norm73%“43%84%4.0ABOUT

THE

ADConcernsaboutthecostofChristmascelebrationsarehighthisyear,and

Asdaperfectlyconveyed

thatfeelingwiththewell-knownChristmascharacter,theGrinch.Inareworkedversionof“LetItSnow,”afamily’sdad

isshownastheGrinch,saying“no”toallholidaycheerbecauseit’stooexpensive.

Thatis,untilhestartsshoppingatAsdaanddiscoversthereasonableprices.WiththehelpoffestivecheerandlowAsdaprices,he’s

turnedbackintohimself.

TheadconcludeswithAsda’straditionalline:“That’sAsdaprice.”WHATWORKEDTherelatableinsightthatChristmascancausemoneyanxietieswasbroughttolifeinafestiveandfunwayinthisad!TheGrinchwastheperfectcharactertoconveythissentiment,andAsda’smessageabout

howitsreasonablepricescanputanyGrinch’smind

at

ease

shonethrough.Plus,theGrinchwasAsdagreen!Whatgreatbranding.“WhatIlikedaboutthatadvertwashow

relatableitfelt.Itshowsthestress

everyone

feelsaround

Christmas,seeingallthepriceystu?andworrying

aboutmoney.Ilikedthattheadvertwasfunandfestive,usingtheGrinchinacreativewayto

showAsda’scheerful

holidayspiritandgreatvalue.Asda:“AVeryMerryGrinchmas”Sales

impact93Brand

impact

93

Ad

distinctivenessUnaidedbrand

recallLove

Norm3.7Norm22%Norm73%83%35%3.9ABOUT

THE

ADPussinBootsisonaperilous

journeyto?ndtherightgifts

thisyear,and

themagicmirroronthewalldirectshimtoBoots,ofcourse!Heis

pleased

withallthechoicesBootshastoo?er,andacheerfulsalesassociatehelpshim?ndthebestgiftsforhisfairytalefriends.Eventhesnowqueen

ispleasedwithhisgift!Theyallenjoytheballwhiledancingto“GirlsonFilm,”andtheadconcludeswith“GiftHappilyEverAfter.”WHATWORKEDPeoplelovePussinBoots!Theylaughatafewofhis

keyfunny

moments

andlovewhenhedeliversallthegiftstohisfriends.

Theyalsolovethebriefsnippetof“GirlsonFilm”attheend.

Theadstandsoutandthekey

roleforBootsinthead—plusthetie-inwiththenameofthecharacter

PussinBoots—maketheBootsbrandveryeasytospot!“ItwasafunpunonthePussinBootscharacter

shopping

inBoots—afun,happy

Christmasstory.Ilikedallofthead.Itmademesmile.

Especially

attheend

when

"Girlson

Film"starts

playingandtheyalldance.Boots:“GiftHappilyEverAfter”Sales

impact93Brand

impact

92

Ad

distinctivenessUnaidedbrand

recallLove

Norm3.7Norm22%Norm73%33%82%4.0ABOUT

THE

ADThistwo-minutead

depictsasongiftinghisfatherarecordwiththesong

“WhereLoveLives”byAlisonLimerick.Upon

hearingthesong,thefatheris

instantlytransportedbacktothe90’swithmemoriesofhisyoungeryears

dancingwithfriends.Healsoremembershisexperienceswithhissonwhilehewasababyandatoddler.Inthepresentday,thedadhugshis

sonandthankshimforthegift.

Theadendswith“Ifyoucan’t?ndthe

words,

?ndthegift.”WHATWORKEDThisbeautiful,emotionallyresonantstoryperfectlycaptureswhatitfeels

likeasyourchildrengrowup.

Theadbringsthisrelatableand

profoundinsighttolifewithfantasticemotionalstorytelling.

Andtheideathat

“whenyoucannot?ndwords,youcan?ndagift”trulyconnectswith

people.“Ilovedthatittappedintothedistancingofparentsandteens.Itwas

beautifully

done.Havingyoung

kidsyou

realise

howquicklytheygrowandhow

special

everymomentiswiththem,especially

holidayslike

Christmassoitisanadvertthatreally

hits

homeandmade

me

emotional.Sales

impact93Brand

impact

75

JohnLewis:“Where

Love

Lives”Ad

distinctivenessUnaidedbrand

recallLove

Norm3.7Norm22%Norm73%44%73%4.1ABOUT

THE

ADAfter10yearsofKevintheCarrot,thisyear’sAldi’sChristmasadgoesbig

withthreeinstallmentsreleasedthroughtheholidayseason.

Part1

shows

Kevinproposingtohislong-timegirlfriendKatieand

Part2

showstheirseparatestagandhendocelebrations.KatieishavingarelaxingtimeatthespawhileKevinisexperiencinghistypicalwacky

hijinks.Will

Kevin?nd

awaytomakeittothealtarontime?WHATWORKEDIt’sanothergreatChristmaswithKevintheCarrot!People

loveitwhenKevin?rstshowsupandproposestoKatieandtheylaughatallthe

jokes

andsillymomentsinthead,particularly“Icanseeyourdownunder!”But

whatpeoplelovemostistheweddingscenewithallthedeliciouslooking

food!Wecan’twaittoseehowthestoryends!“IloveKevinsoI'mexcitedtohavea

newstory

to

follow.The

animation

was

good

and

thefoodlooked

delicious.The"tobe

continued”endingwasagreathookthatmakesme

wanttoseethe

nextad.Aldi:“KevintheCarrot'sBigDay”Sales

impact86Brand

impact

74

Ad

distinctivenessUnaidedbrand

recallLove

Norm3.7Norm22%Norm73%33%74%3.9ABOUT

THE

ADM&SbroughtbackDawnFrenchthisyearforitsChristmasad,andthisyearshe’sstuckinatra?c

jamonthewaytocelebrateChristmas.Justwhenshe’sstartingtoloseit,theM&Sfairy—alsovoicedbyDawnFrench

forthe5thyearinarow—

joins

herandturnsan

M&Struck

intoabeautifulChristmasparty!Onthefairy’surging,Dawnincludesalltheotherpeoplestuckintra?c,o?eringthemadeliciousspreadofM&Sfood.

There’sevenaquickcameofromchefTomKerridge!Theadendswith:“Thisisnotjustfood,it’sM&SChristmasfood.”WHATWORKEDBringingbacktheM&SfairyandDawnFrenchhelpsthe

M&S

brandstand

outinthisad.Butthefoodisstillthestaroftheshow!Whilepeoplelaugh

atallthekeymomentsfromDawn,weseethehighestspikeofloveoccur

whenshestartspassingoutthefood.

Whatagreatexampleofafestiveandfunadthatkeepstheproductatthecenter!“Ilikethe

partnership

betweenDawnandthefairy.Dawn's

reactiontohavingto

sharethefoodisquitefunny.Thetablesoffoodlookveryinviting.Ilikeeverything

aboutthead,especiallythepartwhere

everyone

was

happy

becauseitwas

Christmasseasonandwereeagertoeatthefood.Sales

impact84Brand

impact

89

M&S:“Tra?cJamming”Ad

distinctivenessUnaidedbrand

recallLove

Norm3.7Norm22%Norm73%34%83%3.8ABOUT

THE

ADTesco’sChristmascampaign

takesamoregrounded,down-to-earthview

offamiliesatChristmas.Fromtwoadultbrothers?ghtingoverwhichone

mumlovesmore,toafamilywithyoungchildrenstrugglingtotake

justonedecentChristmaspicture,thisadremindsusthatChristmasisn’tperfect,but“That’swhatmakesitChristmas.”Thecampaignincludesa

seriesofshortscenesbrokeninto10,20and30secondads,aswellasa

1-minutecompilationthatwetestedhere.WHATWORKEDLookingattheoverallaudience,thisadscoresaboutaverageonmostmetrics—fallinginthetophalfofUKads.Peopleseeitasrelevanttotheir

lives(Relevance:3.6vs.3.4norm),soTescotappedintoaninsightthatresonates.

AndtheTescobrandstandsoutandisrememberedinthead.Butwhileit'srelatableandreal,itisn'twhateveryonewants.

Afew

describeitasgloomy,downbeatornotfestiveenough.“ItshowedtherealsideofChristmasratherthan

everything

being

wonderful.IlikethatitisbeingrealandsayingthattheChristmasseasonisnot

perfectbutit

isstillamazingbybringingourclosestfamilyandfriends

togetherforit.Tesco:“That’sWhatMakesItChristmas”Sales

impact51Brand

impact

56

Ad

distinctivenessUnaidedbrand

recallLove

Norm3.7Norm22%Norm73%83%27%3.6DIGGINGDEEPEROlderaudiencesinparticular?ndtherealismlessenticing,asperhaps

theywantgreaterpositivity,nostalgiaandmagictoencouragetheir

familiestocomehomeforChristmas.Butwhenwelookcloserat

justyoungeraudiences—thoseunder45—we

seeadi?erent

picture.Theadfallsinthetop20%ofUKadsforthisgroup.

Youngeraudiencesenjoytheadmore,?nditmorerelevantanditmakesthemfeelgoodabouttheTescobrand(BrandAppeal:4.1vs.3.9norm).Butmoreimportantly,theyfeelstrongeremotionswhenwatchingit.

They

laughmoreatsomeofthefunniermoments,includingthedogsrunningdownthestairsandthebrothers?ghting,andtheyfeelalotmorelovefor

the?nallineattheend,

“Christmasisn’tperfect,butthat’swhatmakesit

Christmas.”SowhilethisapproachmaynotfeellikeatraditionalChristmasad,that

doesn’tmeanit’sunsuccessful.Theadfeelsrelatable,andworkswellwithaudiencesunder45.We

applaudthebolddirection!More

on“That’s

What

Makes

It

Christmas”Sales

impact81Brand

impact

88

Ad

distinctivenessUnaidedbrand

recallLove

Norm3.8Norm28%Norm65%Adults

under4539%76%3.9United

StatesWhat

we

saw

in

theUSthisyearWhiletheChristmasseasoncanbeconsideredthe“SuperBowl”of

UKadvertising,there’sabitlessaudienceattentiononUSholiday

ads.

Therearefewerexpectationsforwhatthesebrandswillrelease.Butit’sstillcriticalforUSbrandstogettheirholiday

advertisingright.Welookedatsomeofthebiggestandmostbuzzworthy

USads

fromretailersandbrandsthisyear.Therewerehighlevelsofloveformostoftheseads,and

manywere

verydistinctive.Butwedidseelowerlevelsofbrand

recallformany

oftheUSads.

Thebrandsthatoutscoredthenormwerethosethat

madetheirbrandtheclearheroofthestory(likeWalmart)orused

theirveryrecognizabledistinctivebrandassets(likeStarbucks,Coca-Colaand

LEGO).Therewereafewsurprisesheretoo.OceanSpray’stonewasdi?erentthantheothers,optingformorelaughterandlesslove.Coca-Colareleasedtwoverydi?erentads—oneAI-generated

versionofitsclassic“HolidaysAreComing”andanothermore

personalstoryofawomanandherfamilyChristmasmemories.Readonformoredetailoneach

ad.ABOUT

THE

ADTchaikovsky’s“March”from“TheNutcracker”—aclassicChristmas-themedballet—setstheChristmastone

inthisad.Whilethemusicplays,weenteraPlantersfactoryandseeMr.PeanutsetPlantersnutsinmotionthroughmachinery.Intimewiththemusic,thenutsarecrackedbynutcrackers,

transportedbyconveyorbelts,

toastedinthe?re

andevenswirledaroundinasnowglobe.

Theyendtheir

journeyinPlanterspackagingandtheadremindsusto“OpentheMagic.”WHATWORKEDWhatasimple,festiveadthatgetspeopleintheholidayspirit!“NutsAbouttheHolidays”reallystandsout,andpeoplelovedthecombinationofholidaymusicpairedwithengagingvisuals.Infact,loveisthedominant

emotionfromstartto?nish.It’sanadwecanwatchoverandoveragain—

itcouldeasilybecomea

holidayclassic!“

I

liked

the

festive

holiday

vibe

of

the

ad.

Love

the

nutcrackers

spitting

out

the

nuts.AndthePlantersnutguy

inspectingthenuts.Iloveseeingthe

nutcrackersandgaveme

Christmasvibes.Ilovealltheholidaycolors.Ilove

howthe

nutcrackersgo

withthe

music.Planters:“Nuts

About

the

Holidays”Sales

impact95Brand

impact

94

Ad

distinctivenessUnaidedbrand

recallLove

Norm3.7Norm27%Norm70%70%47%4.3ABOUT

THE

ADCoca-ColausedAItorecreateitsclassic“HolidaysAreComing”

forthesecondtimethisyear.

ThisversionfeaturesSantaClausopeningabottleofCoca-ColaandsettingatoyCoca-Colatruckdowninatoytown.

Asthe

classic“HolidaysAreComing”songplays,thetrucktravelsthroughvarious

scenesofdi?erentanimals—polarbears,pandas,bunnies—lookingonin

aweaseverythinglightsuparoundthem.WHATWORKEDPeoplelovethisad!Ithasthehighestlovescoreof

anyofthe

USads

welookedat.

Theylovethemusic,thecuteanimals,theCoca-Colatrucksand

Santa.

Theadisincrediblydistinctiveandverywellbranded—there’sno

mistakingthatthisadisforanybrandbutCoca-Cola.

TheremighthavebeensomecontroversyintheindustryabouttheuseofAI,butaudiences

loveit.

Andwhocanblamethem,the“HolidaysAreComing”songgetseveryoneinthefestivemood!“Ilovedthescenes

withthecuteanimals

poppingoutofhiding

places,excitedto

seetheCoca-Colatrucksgoingby

becauseitmeansthe

holidays

are

coming.Itfeltlikea'90sCoca-Cola

Christmas

commercial,itfeltnostalgic.Coca-Cola:“HolidaysAreComing”Sales

impact94Brand

impact

94

Ad

distinctivenessUnaidedbrand

recallLove

Norm3.7Norm27%Norm70%83%55%4.4Coca-Cola’suseofAIforthisholidayadwascontroversial—particularlyin

marketing

andadvertisingcircles.Butwhatwehavetorememberisthatwhattheindustrytalksaboutisn’talwayswhat

theaudiencecaresabout.

Andtherealityisthataudienceslovedit.Coca-Colahasbeenusingredtrucks,Santa,lightsandthe“HolidaysAreComing”songin

theirholidayadvertisingfor