2025年圣诞节广告经验

Introduction Every year as we approach the winter holidays, the airwaves are filled with festivestorytelling. Christmas advertising has become as much a part of the season as lightson a tree or songs on the radio. That’s because the run up to Christmas, or “golden quarter” spanning October toDecember, is one of the most profitable periods for brands and retailers. It’s such acritical period for sales that it’s essential for companies to nail their holiday advertising. Yet the best ads aren't those that feel overly promotional. The most successful are thecampaigns that tap into emotion — the feelings of nostalgia, togetherness and themagical feeling of the holidays. They remind us what the holidays mean, while alsoensuring the brands come to mind powerfully and positively during the next few criticalshopping months. Kim MalcolmHead of advertisingresearch This year we looked at some of the best ads from the UK and the US. Some brands are known for their great Christmas ads year after year, while others lessso. Some brands relied on their traditional (and successful) formulas — deliveringconsistency in a fresh way — while others took some risks and did somethingunexpected. We’ll go through the results and then share our tips on how you can make a greatChristmas ad next year. Methodology We analyzed all the ads with consumer feedbackfrom people usingZappi Amplify AdvertisingSystem,a modern research system that fuelsagile, iterative ad development with continuousconsumer feedback. Developed in partnership with leading globalbrands,Zappi Amplify Advertising Systemcombines the best of advertising researchapproaches topredict how well an ad will deliverROI,via both short-term sales and long-term brandequity, so you can learn what works and whatdoesn’t to optimize ads at every step of thecreation process. The metrics used We looked at five metrics: Sales Impact:How likely is the ad to deliver ROIvia short-term sales uplift? Brand Impact:How likely is the ad to build thebrand and drive sales into the future? Ad Distinctiveness:Is the ad different from otherads viewers have seen? Top Scoring Emotion:What emotion did the admake viewers feel most? Brand Recall:Did viewers spontaneously recallseeing an ad for the brand? Why thesemetrics matter You can never look at a single advertising metric inisolation, because there are many elements requiredfor successful advertising. Christmas ads aren’t simply a source of entertainmentand a way for audiences to get into the holiday spirit— they mustdrive salesandbuild the brandinto thelonger term. It’s essential for any Christmas ad bedistinctive,because it has to stand out to be noticed amid all theother Christmas ads. And because the holidays are a time of emotionalconnection, Christmas ads are known for theiremotional appeal,primarily love. That’s what makesthem memorable and deeply resonant. And finally, viewers mustremember thebrandin thead, otherwise the brand doesn’t get the benefits! Themes from theads this year Before we get into individual ad performance,here’s a look at some of the overarchingthemes we saw. 1. Great music An ad’s music choice can play a pivotal role in grabbingattention, setting the scene, evoking emotions and ultimatelycreating a more immersive experience for the audience. Byadding to the overall experience,music helps make the admore memorable. So it’s no surprise that many of the great Christmas ads had agreat soundtrack. Many ads used recognizable Christmas tunes to establish thefestive vibes, like “March” from “The Nutcracker” in Planters’“Nuts About the Holidays.” And Asda used a completelyrewritten version of “Let It Snow” to tell the whole story of “AVery Merry Grinchmas”! Many used instrumental music to underscore the action, likeSainsbury’s use of upbeat music or Ocean Spray’s dramaticmusic throughout the whole ad. And others used classic songs — but not Christmas songs —to set the tone and establish that feeling of nostalgia, likeJohn Lewis’ use of “Where Love Lives” by Alison Limerick orStarbucks’ use of The Proclaimers’ “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles).” 2. Compellingstories 30, 60 or 90 seconds isn’t much time, but some of thebest ads this year used their time effectively to tell anengaging story. Sainsbury’s “Unexpected Guest” is like a short moviewith a protagonist and antagonist, where the good guyssave the day and the bad guy is caught and Christmas issaved. John Lewis’ “Where Love Lives” tells a quiet story abouta father and teenage son brought closer with athoughtful gift. Starbucks’ “Drawn Together” depicts two drawings onStarbucks cups finding their way back each other. Each one tells a unique story thataudiences are eagerto see resolved in a satisfying way. 3. Love People tend to love the festive season, and Christmas adstap into that love bydialing up the emotional connectionand delivering heartwarming stories. This year’s Christmas ads did just that — nearly every adwe looked at evoked more love t