What does it take to create a memorable Christmas ad?

This time we are playing AI-powered detective. Our mission is to find out:

What are the key ingredients of a compelling Christmas commercial? What did Aldi, Waitrose, TK Maxx and Marks & Spencer do right (and not so right) this year?

Research methodology

Stimuli: two sets of video ads: Aldi and Waitrose, TK Maxx and M&S

Target: United Kingdom, male, female, from 18 to 65 years, each set of ads tested by 50 respondents, 100 resp. sample size in total.

Research solution: Yasna.ai, an AI-powered auto-moderator

To set the scene, our auto-moderator Yasna.ai asked the respondents:

"What Christmas commercials do you recall spontaneously and why do you like them?"

We have a winner! John Lewis takes the panettone, not so closely followed by Coca Cola:

1. John Lewis (23% of recalls)
2. Coca Cola (9% of recalls)
3. Aldi (6% of recalls)
4. M&S (5% of recalls)
5. Morrisons (3% of recalls)

Now that we know which brands managed to create ads that are living in consumers' memory rent-free, let's find out why that is the case.

Yasna conducts 100s of chat in-depth interviews in a couple of days. Collect needs, pain points and usage occasions, instantly checking how common they are. Learn more →

What makes a great (and memorable) Christmas ad?

The bar for Christmas ads is set so much higher than for normal ads. People want to be wowed, entertained. They expect a cinematic experience which includes:

• Traditional Christmas themes / values of family and togetherness - a must
• Storytelling - often centred around a character
• Humour - extra points if it works for both adults and children
• Creativity and Uniqueness - from unexpected plot to bizarre characters
• Relatability - storylines that consumers can see themselves in
• Emotional Appeal - pulling on nostalgia for simpler times, childhood
• Visual Appeal - ideally it can evoke a visceral reaction, not just look good
• Product Display - people enjoy an elegant advice for a Christmas meal/gift
• Music - powerful enough to make or break an ad

We go deeper into each point in the full version of the case study on the Yasna.ai website - jump here for all the consumer quotes and details →

We've established what qualities make an outstanding Christmas ad. Let's see how the respondents rated the four ads Yasna asked them to watch and compare: Aldi vs. Waitrose and TK Maxx vs. Marks & Spencer .

Aldi ticked many boxes from the list above, blending humour, inclusivity, character-based storytelling and traditional values into a winning ad.

Waitrose made great use of appealing product display, iconic music, atmosphere of celebration and once again, humour.

TK Maxx went with the "cute funny animal" tactic which paid off. People liked how the ad managed to convey a sense of warmth, and the seasonal spirit of giving.

M&S ad was appreciated for it's honesty and fresh take on Christmas, but the vast majority felt it was disrespectful and sent a selfish message.

See the bigger picture in our ad analysis right here →

To sum up: there is no Christmas-cookie-cutter formula that makes an ad appealing, but!

Elements such as characters, music, story, and the overall tone and message of the ad play a significant role, while a smug, dark and cool tone is not welcome in this genre of advertising. In the end, it's all about knowing the target audience's preferences. And that is something Fastuna can help you with ??

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