Nostalgia, emotion, storytelling: Is this the ‘most consistent’ year yet for Christmas ads?
Consistency, episodic storytelling and nostalgia have all been key as 2024 celebrates a “strong cohort” of Christmas ads.
The 2024 Christmas ad run has seen the return of beloved brand characters, a shift towards new visions, and increased use of AI.
Whether it’s sticking with what works – cue Aldi’s Kevin the Carrot– or trialling a new concept as Tesco has done with its gingerbread themed ad, the consensus is this year’s festive ads as another strong cohort.
“We saw a big improvement [in overall performance] in 2023 and we’re seeing that continue on average so far [in 2024],” says Kantar’s head of creative excellence, Lynne Deason.
According to Kantar, Cadbury, Aldi, Coca-Cola and M&S Food are among the top performing ads. This analysis is backed up by System1 data, which gave Aldi a top 5.9 star rating alongside Sainsbury’s, Lidl, Cadbury, M&S Food and Amazon (as of 8 November).
