Aldi's Part 2 Ad Tops the Recognition Board in Week 3 of the Race
Our week 3 results are in and the Christmas buzz is building with half of the British public feeling festive (51%). It was also the lead up to Black Friday, where nearly every retailer was shouting about their incredible deals and offers.
What was once an industry term to mark the official start to the Christmas shopping season after American Thanksgiving, in recent years Black Friday has turned into a global event.
Retailers have been dropping their Black Friday sales throughout the month, offering their steepest discounts of the year. While this year it officially falls on the 28th November, for many retailers Black Friday lasts the whole month of November (as is the case with John Lewis and Argos who began their Black Friday promotions as early as the 31st October!).
of consumers say they have less money to spend on Christmas presents this year compared to 2024
Synthesio data shows that in November ‘gifts and shopping’ had the highest volume of social mentions compared to other Christmas related categories.
While inboxes and social media are flooded with ‘early offers’ and ‘exclusive deals’, 46% of consumers are saying that they have less money to spend on Christmas presents this year compared to last. This has no doubt instilled both excitement and panic as shoppers scour the internet for the best prices.
In the context of all this promotional activity, Christmas brand advertising recognition has stabilised, with 29% average ad recognition week on week.
Not only are Christmas ads fighting to break through amongst each other, but they also need to cut through all the Black Friday activity, making visibility even more of a challenge.
Aldi’s Part 2 is among the exception, topping the leaderboard at 55% recognition this week and overtaking Sainsbury’s BFG (52%). Waitrose’s ‘The Perfect Gift’ mini-Rom Com is also continuing to build visibility (from 42% in week 2 to 48% in Week 3).
The ad’s magical combination of Love, Actually meets Celebrity Traitor is the perfect formula to tap into Christmas nostalgia alongside trending pop culture.
Aldi's part 2 festive ad tops the recognition leaderboard, with a score of
of respondents spontaneously named John Lewis' Christmas ad as their favourite
So what role does brand building advertising play throughout the busiest promotional time of the year?
To maximise impact, tactical and equity building comms should work together to grab attention, create a brand connection and generate short-term sales. Brands can leverage the lead Christmas ad to build salience and affinity so that tactical Black Friday offers can more effectively cut through the massive amount of clutter.
John Lewis seems to have struck a good balance here, as so far it is the favourite ad of the season (20% spontaneous mentions), and they have leveraged their campaign assets to create spinoff product ads.
This approach has facilitated a 39% uplift in their app usage and a 28% increase in website traffic in the launch week of their Christmas campaign and Black Friday promotion, according to Iris data.
With new players entering the race in Week 4 and the start of December upon us, we will see how brand and tactical dynamics evolve, and which ads will continue to grab the public’s attention.
…And don’t worry if you missed out on the Black Friday deals this year, there is always Cyber Monday!
Sources
Ipsos Fast Facts: Week 3 data: n= 300, UK Nat rep sample, fielded on 21st November 2025.
Ipsos iris Online Audience Measurement Service, 2025, All aged 15+ using PC/laptop, smartphone or tablet device(s), UK only. UKOM endorsed. https://iris.ipsos.com/ • Last updated at 21 Nov 2025.
Ipsos Synthesio: Public posts from TikTok, X, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, Forums via Synthesio. Data collected from 2025/10/01 – 2025/11/17.
Ipsos Observer interviewed a representative quota sample of 1,050 adults aged 18-75 in Great Britain using its online FastFacts Platform on 25th November 2025.
