Christmas ad testingWe asked our community of 16-24 year olds (100+ per ad)

to answer questions on 8 Christmas adverts…

2

#1 John LewisThe much anticipated John Lewis advert left our community

feeling wholesome, with 54% saying they felt touched. They

praised the adverts all encompassing plot. They liked the

cute characters, the festive feel and for some, it was all

about the deeper message of inclusivity and relationships.

Many felt the advert was unique compared to other

Christmas adverts they’d seen, so it’s no surprise 85% felt

the advert was unique.

When we asked the community how they would describe

John Lewis as a person, the most frequently used word was

‘family’. The community spoke about how the brand valued

family and being together. Other words which were

mentioned were being inclusive, loving and of high quality.

Our community rated the advert the highest amongst all the

Christmas adverts we tested, with 84% rating the advert 7-

10. The advert also succeeded in getting our community in

the Christmas spirit with 88% rating the advert a 7-10 for

festive feel.

“Inclusion, acceptance and love are the 3 things they believe

in, and try to demonstrate from this advert, their products and

their customers. That John Lewis is for all, has a big range and

wants everyone to get involved in the essence of Christmas..”

“It's very festive, with a lovely theme and message. I like the dragon character

(mainly because dragons aren't associated with Christmas, so they've taken

something random, and related it to Christmas) and think it's very appropriate for

the feeling of the Christmas season.”

“I love the John Lewis adverts every year as they always signify the

start of me getting in the festive spirit. I love the music and the animal

characters and they make me feel that Christmas is a happy family

joyous time of love and being together.”

“Believes in Family, tradition and classics. Believes in looking

after and supporting the community Believes in making a

difference.”

84%rated the advert a

score of 7-10

They were most

likely to feel

happywhen watching

the advert (62%)

78%said they were likely to

share the advert with

friends or family

Watch it here

3

# 2 TescoTesco qualified as the second highest rated Christmas Advert

we tested, with 72% rating it 7-10. The blast from the past

themed advert, took viewers on a nostalgic trip through the

decades in the life of a Tesco delivery driver. For most of our

community, they praised that Tesco had used a different

concept, with 3 in 4 saying it was unique. The community

spoke about how it made them realise just how influential

Tesco was not just in history but in their own life’s too. As well

as this, the community liked that the advert centred around

the average worker demonstrating what a busy time it is for

those in retail.

When we asked the community how they would describe

Tesco as a person, the most frequently used word was

‘family’. The comments focused around how Tesco was for

everyone and offered high quality products for good value.

Whilst the community did enjoy the advert, Tesco scored

lowest amongst the adverts tested for relevance at 61%.

However, it’s worth mentioning that they did still perceive the

advert to be festive with 86% rating the advert a 7-10 for

festive feel.

“Its sweet how the company highlights the retailers role of

delivering Christmas to the nation. I love how the van is trying

to resemble Santa's reindeer. Totally lightens up the whole

advert.”

“It was unique and didn't attempt to do something that had already been done in

other Christmas ads. It was also upbeat which is nice for a change. Not every

Christmas advert has to be emotional."

“I think it's incredibly creative. 'Delivering for 100 years' is brought to

life! I found it memorable too and the music was jolly.”

“1. Tesco is all about the importance of family.

2. Good quality at reasonable prices.

3. Everyone come together to achieve.”

Watch it here

72%rated the advert a

score of 7-10

They were most

likely to feel

happywhen watching

the advert (59%)

59%said they were likely to

share the advert with

friends or family

4

#3 McDonalds

“It's really feel good and makes you think that families come

together at Christmas. It has a really good message to it.”

“Its simplicity; I like the simple story which is also heartfelt. It's not too soppy or

over the top but has a light Christmassy tone whilst still feeling traditional,

therefore making it more believable. Also enjoyed the twist when it changed from

cgi to real-life i.e. found the revelation of the dog funny.”

“This advert is very moving. It reflects the Christmas Spirit because it

has to do with family, children and the magic of imagination.”

68%rated the advert a

score of 7-10

They were most

likely to feel

happywhen watching

the advert (66%)

65%said they were likely to

share the advert with

friends or family

68% of the community rated the McDonalds advert 7-10. 65% of the

community felt more positive towards McDonalds after seeing the

advert – making it joint first with John Lewis out of all the Christmas

ads we tested.

Many in the community said that this was their favourite

Christmas advert of 2019, because of the heart warming nature of

the advert. They felt it was cute, loved the storyline and thought it was

really clever how it changed from CGI to real life. It’s no doubt that

for many the advert pulled on their heartstrings, our community

members felt McDonalds were spot on with not making their advert

overly emotional which they appreciated. Some also praised

McDonalds for showcasing a sense of realism, by showcasing a

diverse modern family.

When we asked the community how they would describe McDonalds

as a person, ‘family’ was the most used word. As a result of seeing

the advert, the community felt McDonalds was inclusive and valued

families. Overall the community, really felt McDonalds nailed the

Christmas spirit, making this advert the most relevant vs. other

Christmas advert we tested (82%), the advert also had the festive

appeal, with 82% giving the advert a festive rating of 7-10.

“I really like the use of a modern family in the advert who seem likeable. The

advert is funny and heart-warming, with a cute dog in it too. I think it has a

Christmas festive feel and makes me smile.”

Watch it here

5

#4 Amazon64% of the community rated the Amazon advert 7-10. The

community enjoyed the upbeat feeling that the Amazon

advert gave them - as a result, 44% felt excited from

watching the advert. Some in the community enjoyed that

Amazon had a deeper meaning to their advert by having the

song ‘Everybody Needs Somebody to Love’, feeling this was

very relevant for the festive season. Many in the community,

also enjoyed the montage of different groups of people

Amazon focused on, the diverse groups covered made the

advert more relatable and captured the holiday spirit for

them.

When we asked the community how they would describe

Amazon as a person. The community spoke about how the

brand was for the people, embodied love and had good

family values.

Overall the community, felt that the advert was relevant

compared to other adverts (72%), the advert also got the

community into the Christmas spirit, with 68% giving the

advert a festive rating of 7-10.

“The advert promotes being together and spending time with

others which are important aspects at Christmas. Also it

includes a range of people from different ages which makes it

inclusive.”

“I love the happy festive vibe of the advert, and I love that they had a really catchy

song. I think its great that they used so many different people of different ages,

genders, locations and ethnicities to show that Christmas is for everyone and its

all about being with those who you love and who are close to you.”

“The children, the laughter, the catchy song, the holiday spirit and

the message of falling in love and needing somebody (family, or

someone special) make this advert really something. It is great.”

“I love the way relationships are addressed in this advert. It is true, everybody

needs somebody. The music, the cultural aspect and the different places and

people give the advert a nice touch.”

Watch it here

64%rated the advert a

score of 7-10

They were most

likely to feel

happywhen watching

the advert (69%)

55%said they were likely to

share the advert with

friends or family

6

#5 Sainsburys63% of the community rated the Sainsburys advert 7-10.

Many in the community spoke about how they enjoyed

the heartfelt, underlying message that Christmas was the

season of giving and helping those in need. As a result,

42% felt touched when watching the advert. As well as

this, some praised Sainsburys for addressing those in

poverty around Christmas and telling a different version

of events compared to what other adverts do. The

historical references went down very well with the

community, they liked that it took you back to the

Victorian era and some even referred to the advert as

having a cinematic feel to it.

When we asked the community how they would describe

Sainsburys as a person, the most used word was

‘kindness’. As a result of seeing the advert, the likened

Sainsburys to being compassionate, of good quality and

loyal.

Overall the community, felt that the advert was unique

(83%) as well as being festive too, with 69% giving the

advert a festive rating of 7-10.

“The feeling of a classic Christmas movie in an ad was great, I

liked the narrators voice and the visuals were quite good.”

“I enjoyed the advert as I thought I was interesting and eye catching. I like how it

aimed at poverty and actual problems which occur today and has a nice message

behind it.”

“This ad is very exciting and reminds us how exciting it is to share with

others at Christmas to do our best to make others happy.”

“I actually really enjoyed this advert but it felt long whilst I was watching it . I like

that its got a theme and set in a certain time period and it has a nice message.

Its cute and heart warming and I liked that at the end it acknowledged itself with

the "and that is a totally true story" I thought that was a good touch.”

Watch it here

63%rated the advert a

score of 7-10

They were most

likely to feel

interestedwhen watching

the advert (54%)

58%said they were likely to

share the advert with

friends or family

7

#6 Aldi62% of the community rated the Aldi advert 7-10. Those in

the community enjoyed the cute factor that the advert

possessed, with the return of Kevin the carrot and new

addition, Tiny Tom tomato. The return of Kevin from 2018’s

Christmas advert, meant the community felt a fondness

towards the Aldi advert. The community found the storyline

very humorous as well as enjoying references to popular

culture such as the parody of The Greatest Showman and

Kevin singing to Let Me Entertain You by Robbie Williams.

Some in the community, also praised the vast selection of

food showcased in the advert.

When we asked the community how they would describe Aldi

as a person, ‘fun’ was one of the most used words. As a

result of seeing the advert, they likened Aldi to being joyful,

fun, good quality, family orientated and good value.

Overall the community, felt that the advert was relevant

(74%) as they were familiar with the concept from the 2018

advert, the advert also got the community into the

Christmas spirit, with 68% giving the advert a festive rating

of 7-10.

“i like the humour element, the cartoons are so well drawn

and it's a unique idea.”

“It's really cute and catchy. Has a wholesome feeling about it, with lots of

food! Think children will really like it.”

“I like that the advert has incorporated such a popular film with a

great family feel and great music which gets people interested

and makes people smile.”

“Believe in extraordinary and doing things differently. They love eccentricity

They're very spirited and believe in living life passionately and seeing the

funny side.”

Watch it here

62%rated the advert a

score of 7-10

They were most

likely to feel

happywhen watching

the advert (54%)

57%said they were likely to

share the advert with

friends or family

8

#7 Argos

62% of the community rated the Argos advert 7-10. The

community felt excited when viewing the advert (43%),

this was because of the bright visuals and the catchy song

that most were familiar with. Many spoke about how the

advert embodied the magic of Christmas and releasing

your inner child, with members speaking fondly about

the nostalgia they felt when watching the dad look

through the Argos catalogue – something which they

also did when they were younger before Christmas.

When we asked the community how they would describe

Argos as a person. The community spoke about how the

brand was family orientated and how fun was important

to them.

Overall the community, felt that the advert stood out vs.

other adverts and therefore felt it was unique (73%), the

advert also got the community into the Christmas spirit,

with 59% giving the advert a festive rating of 7-10.

“I like the song, it was fun and unique. For the brand also,

all the items shown were very "Argos" so it seemed very

fitting.”

“I love the storyline and that idea of being/feeling like a kid again at

Christmas no matter your age.”

“This ad has everything a Christmas advert ought to have: Magic,

Wishes and Presents. It is quite nice and has colour and a lot of

imagination to it. Nice work.”

“I absolutely love this advert! When I was younger I used to do the exact same

thing with drawing a circle around the products I want and even though Argos

have moved away from the catalogue it's still a lovely memory. It's a Christmas

advert that is nice and simple to watch but not too repetitive, it's something

different compared to the other adverts I've seen lately.”

Watch it here

62%rated the advert a

score of 7-10

They were most

likely to feel

happywhen watching

the advert (56%)

51%said they were likely to

share the advert with

friends or family

9

#8 WalkersWalkers had the lowest rating Christmas advert we tested,

with 54% rating it 7-10. The advert which starred Mariah

Carey proved to be slightly divisive amongst the community.

The majority, enjoyed the advert with most praising Walkers for

getting Mariah Carey on board. As the singer had become

such a part of Christmas culture, they felt her appearance

made the advert stand out vs. other Christmas adverts. They

enjoyed the vibrant colours, humour and that the advert didn’t

try to be emotional which in fact made it more memorable for

them. However, for others despite Mariah’s appearance they

didn’t get much of a festive vibe from the advert and therefore

described it as ‘commercial’ and ‘cringey’.

When we asked the community how they would describe

Walkers as a person, the community spoke about how the

brand was fun, of high quality and a humorous/down to

earth brand.

Overall the community, felt that the advert was unique

compared to other adverts (70%), whilst it didn’t get the

highest festive rating, 59% still gave the advert a festive rating

of 7-10.

“It was more entertaining than the other ones and uses

Mariah Carey in a way that isn't typical and expected.”

“It was amusing, they weren't trying too hard for hitting the 'feels' and they

weren't pushing the comedy too far. And at least they were honest, they sell

crisps, end of.”

“The advert is very engaging and catchy. Besides, it is full of

colour, joy and an interesting topic: Christmas and sharing.”

“This advert is hilarious. I live the music, the Christmas costumes and the

whole setting. It is also very catchy.”

Watch it here

54%rated the advert a

score of 7-10

They were most

likely to feel

interestedwhen watching

the advert (47%)

50%said they were likely to

share the advert with

friends or family