The Race is Hotting up!
We’re back! Our hearts our warm and full of festive cheer. Best of all the race to Christmas is now hotting up with all the biggest runners and riders now having released their Christmas advert. Not only has John Lewis now formally entered the chat with its time travelling tribute to sisterhood, but McDonalds has now tried to disrupt the Christmassy vibe with its unexpected musical choices.
In the third wave of our in-market tracking Aldi and Kevin have retained their spot as the public’s favourite Christmas ad (10%) although the pack is gathering behind them with fellow retailers Sainsbury’s (7%), Asda (6%) and the newly entered Tesco (5%) all not far behind. Clearly at this stage adverts from retailers the most top of mind Christmas adverts.
Be Memorably You This Christmas
Last time, we spoke about the most recognised ads in the race so far. The brands that have been in the race the longest clearly have the advantage of time here with M&S (44%), Sainsbury’s (42%) and Aldi (39%) the most recognised ads in the third wave of our tracking. Ipsos iris data demonstates how the Boots advert has generated a lot of debate and conversation in recent days, and this appears to have helped recognition grow, rising from 19% last wave to 37% this time out.
We all know that great adverts often stick in our memories. Does this matter if the brand itself isn’t connected to these memories? At Ipsos we also capture Brand linkage, the ability of consumers to look at stills of the adverts and tell us who the advert is for. Last time we spoke about how the use of Kevin the Carrot and Dawn French have helped Aldi and M&S achieve high levels of brand linkage. When this is laid over their recognition it ensures their ‘Branded Recognition’ is the highest (M&S 33%, Aldi, 30%).
But of course, this is where Coca Cola also shines. Their AI generated advert builds upon the foundation of their classic formula, not only becoming the most recognised new entry in the race (33%) but also achieving 71% brand linkage amongst this audience. Coke has already achieved 23% Branded Recognition inside their first week of activity – comparable with what Aldi and M&S had in our second wave of tracking. The classics never go out of style.
44% of people recognise the Marks & Spencer Food ad, making them the current leader for ad recognition!
Be True to Yourself This Christmas
This doesn’t mean you can’t get strong Brand Attention when delivering a new message. Take O2 for example - their heartfelt Christmas present to the nation this year showcases SIMcards floating down from the sky, a snowfall designed to help promote their battle against data poverty. The use of the well established O2 Robot combined with the dulcet tones of Sean Bean helps to connect this message back to the brand.
This is an ad that feels like it came from the O2 brand we have been hearing from all year round. But it also has a vibe and tone that are not out of place amongst the wider Christmas offerings. The Ipsos AI SPARK testing tool agrees, giving this advert a score of 120 on Brand Attention (vs 100 for the average UK ad). Christmas advertising should feel magical, but it should also feel like it is part of the brands ongoing story.
A story that continues through the spring rain, the summer heat and the autumn leaf fall. Because the brands we love are for life, not just for Christmas.
And, Don't Forget to Buy the Food
It's not long now before the Ipsos Innovation team reveal the nations favourite Christmas food Innovations. I for one, can’t wait and am holding off my Christmas online shop to be sure I know exactly what to buy. The Christmas adverts have been trying to tell me of course. There is barely a supermarket in this race that hasn’t shown a delicious Christmas spread in their advertising. In fact, its so common place that its practically expected. And maybe that’s a challenge in itself? Everyone doing it? After all, they want people to not only connect with these stories but ultimately go and buy some turkey… right?
There are some brands in this year’s race that have put food right at the very heart of their creative stories. Showcasing the products first. In our creative testing at Ipsos we see time and time again that this is a winning strategy when it comes to creating an advert that actually has the potential to effect sales.
BabyBel has the highest Creative Effect Potential from Ipsos SPARK AI tool
Our Ipsos SPARK AI tool has now seen 28 adverts from the 2024 Christmas lineup and has ranked them on their Creative Effect Index (CEI- the potential of the ad to ultimately drive short term product sales). Of course, Sainsbury’s and Aldi do well here (132 CEI vs 100 for the average UK ad). But there are two ads that scored better. Gregg’s is in second place (139 CEI), using the power of Nigella Lawson and her sensual approach to food to showcase their Christmas product range. The ad both leans into the classic approach to showcasing Christmas food and yet still feels disruptive because its Gregg’s doing this and not M&S.
Our AI tool ranked one advert above Nigella this Christmas – Babybel. You heard us right. Watch the advert and you’ll understand why. The story revolves around two security guards moving a giant Babybel into the store so that Christmas can truly begin. The product isn’t just centre stage, its big enough to be the stage. The ad scored an appropriately massive 167 for CEI. Only time will tell if the nation truly rush’s out to buy Babybel for Christmas, but we know there’s going to be some in our fridge come the weekend.
Stay tuned as the race reaches its crescendo...
Ipsos has so much more to come as part of the race to Christmas coverage. The previously mentioned focus on Christmas food from our Innovation team will not disappoint and in December we’ll talk more about how all this is affecting our shopping trends by looking at Ipsos Iris. Better stay tuned… Mariah Carey’s just warming up… See you soon… and Merry Christmas.
Source: Ipsos Fast Facts, n= 600, UK Nat rep sample, fielded 18th November 2024
