And 53.7% of viewers were likely to feel intense positive emotions.
The Christmas Big Emotions
Now that you’ve seen the most emotionally engaging Christmas ads for this year, what do you notice? What do you wonder?
For festive ads, the common themes that resonate with audiences will always be the staple emotions: warmth, joy, and excitement.
And this year, the big winner – nostalgia.
According to the CEO of DAIVID. Around 85% of ads tested this year scored above average for that emotion.
Nostalgia
In alignment with the data, I noticed that 9 out of the 10 ads above tapped into nostalgia, ranking it as one of their top 5 emotions.
Reminding people about the ghosts of Christmas past will always be a winner. It’s an easy way for brands to access a lot of emotions in a very short time, making it very powerful.
Brands that did well this year include:
Chevrolet – 162% higher.
Vodafone – 152% higher.
John Lewis – 95% higher feelings.
These are just some of the notable examples.
Read more about the 39 Emotions Digital Marketers Can Use In Advertising and Nostalgia Marketing & What We Can Learn From John Lewis Ads.
Sadness
But brands that sprinkle other emotions into the mix tend to do better. This is why Teleflora’s “The Power of Wishes,” which is almost five times sadder than the average ad, outperformed other emotional ads at Christmas.
Now, there was a time when “Sadvertising” was a huge trend at Christmas, but not so much this year. I wonder if brands are trying to cheer us up after such a horrible year.
It’s worth noting that only 12 of the 125 ads that DAIVID tested scored higher than the norm for sadness.
Don’t get me wrong – there were brands that made us cry.
For example, the ad that made us cry the most was World of Our Own from Shelter. The ad generated intense sadness among 31% of viewers, well ahead of any other ad this year and more than five times sadder than the industry average.
Others that made us tear up include “PETA’s Christmas Ad.” As the video’s description warns us, “PETA’s 2024 Christmas advert is here – and this cow’s story will break your heart.”
And then there’s #FeedYourChristmasSpirit from Tesco. But the ad’s attempt to be bittersweet comes off as weird.
Amusement
Making people laugh has also been a key theme this year. Again, I think brands and their agencies are trying to cheer us up.
A notable example of this in the top 10 is “The Journey” from M&S. Dawn French is a UK national treasure – and much loved.
However, the funniest Holiday ads this year did not quite make the top 10.
The ad most likely to make people laugh is “A Watt Holiday Classic” from DICK’s Sporting Goods.
It features former NFL player J.J. Watt, who recreates scenes from iconic festive films after being trapped in a Dick’s store after closing. The ad made 37% of viewers laugh, which is well above the industry norm.
Another festive ad to make us laugh this year is a spot from a British supermarket chain called “Sweet Suspicion: A Waitrose Mystery” by Waitrose. This ad made 34.1% of viewers laugh out loud.
Sprinkle Some Magic
A lot of magic was used this year. This was a very common theme throughout the chart. Do you think people are trying to forget what the world is like right now?
But there was a lack of celebs. I think there is only one (Dawn French) in the top 10. That makes festive advertising very different than Super Bowl ads. But that’s a topic for another day.
Methodology
A total of 125 holiday advertisements from across the globe were analyzed in the study. The ads were evaluated based on the percentage of viewers expected to experience strong positive emotions in response to the content. As noted, DAIVID measures 39 distinct emotions, with their intensity rated on a scale from 1 to 10. Scores between 8 and 10 are classified as “intense.” The data for the chart was collected at 7:00 AM on December 3, 2024.
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