Consumers’ Christmas ad wishlist

Everybody has their own threshold of “when it’s officially Christmas”. For me, that’s about the time when the festive Coca-Cola advert airs. 

You know the one; “Holidays are coming 🎵” and all that jazz. This got our Trends team thinking about festive ads; what makes a Christmas campaign truly special? For brands, that's the £10bn question.

Before I got into the data, I asked my colleagues to name their favorite holiday ads or campaigns throughout the years. I’ll start with mine:

Tom: I copped out a bit here. It’s not my favorite, but I want to give an honorable mention to John Lewis’ “Manonthemoon” ad from 2015. Only because it turned “Half the World Away” into a Christmas tune.

Noel Gallagher actually released a holiday track a few years later but, personally, I think it's a bit meh.

Elise: “I was always really taken with this H&M short film with Wes Anderson (it lives in my head at all times)”

I went nearly 31 years without seeing this and now, it lives in my head too. 

Chris: “This banger”

Toys R Us is actually making a comeback here in the UK, so maybe this ad will do the rounds again soon?

Laura: “This was a bit of an early 2010's theme across holiday advertising but the Apple Christmas ads were always tearjerkers” 

We’ve got all the ingredients of a great Christmas ad here; snow, family, and a sappy, heartfelt sentiment. Speaking of…

Esther: “Anything with a good song and a bit o’ snow” 

“The Bear and the Hare” probably tops a lot of people’s all-time favorite Christmas ads, and so it should, because it’s great. 

Shauna: “This one’s a little heavy, but definitely a standout”

A not-so-gentle reminder that Christmas is meant to be the season of peace and goodwill, a message that doesn’t ring true everywhere.

So what do consumers think?

Well, despite the bad rep they sometimes get, 64% of Americans say they like to see brands creating content about Christmas. Though it's about getting the balance right, as the same number prefer when brands focus on celebrating Christmas rather than using it to promote products or services.

And they’ve given us more insight into what they mean here. The main things Americans who celebrate Christmas want to see brands doing are as follows:

1. Supporting charities/donating 46% (Shelter’s ad definitely comes to mind here)

2. A wider range of deals/sales 44% (we’ve got our fingers crossed Toys R Us)

3. Providing inspiration for the holiday 42% (H&M gets it)

4. Celebrating authentically alongside its customers 33%

5. Representing a diverse range of people 26%

6. Providing educational content about the holiday 19% (we’d argue John Lewis’ “The Bear and the Hare” ad is kind of educational, as well as nostalgic)

7. Sharing personal stories 19% (which Apple’s 2013 ad does so well)