Christmas ads are a big deal, and when done right, they deliver a big boost to the bottom line, making the most magical time of year the most profitable too. A great Christmas ad has an impact that echoes well beyond the festive season. We test all Christmas creative to celebrate the campaigns that are entertaining and engaging audiences to deliver positive long-term impact.

Download Our 12 Gifts of Christmas Report

Every year, brands unwrap merry and bright stories for the Christmas season, hoping to dazzle the public with festive fantasies, delicious dishes, catchy tunes, and fan-favorite characters.

Over the past five years, System1 has tested every Christmas and holiday campaign in the UK and US. Using emotional and brand response data from 350 top-performing ads, this guide brings you a comprehensive analysis of what makes great festive advertising.

Christmas Advertising in Context
Why is Christmas advertising important? And how does it perform compared to the rest of the year?
Using System1’s global database of 150,000+ tested ads

Learnings from 350 Top-Performing Christmas Ads
Explore creativity, consistency and how to defeat dullness.
A study looking at 350 top-performing Christmas ads with 50,000+ respondents (UK & US)

The 12 Gifts of Christmas
Lessons from the top performers of Christmas and holiday advertising on how to deliver short- and long-term effectiveness with insights grounded in our latest research.

Christmas Ads Aren’t Just for Christmas
How you can learn from Christmas advertising to make more effective ads all year round.

Submit your details to download the report.

Keep Up to Date With the Latest Christmas Content

Article: Marketing Beat

System1: “Consistency and familiarity” are key for brands’ Christmas success

The 2024 festive season is set to be the most “consistent Christmas for advertising” it has seen to date.

System1 Blog

Unwrapping Consumers Favorite US Ads of the Holiday Season

Each year, we test the US holiday ads with real consumers to see which make the biggest emotional impact on audiences, so we’ve rounded up a list of some early holiday favorites.

Article: Advanced Television

M&S Christmas ad scores max rating from System1

We've unwrapped the first 5-Star Christmas ad of the season from M&S Food.

System1 Blog

The Season of Soundtracks: Music Shapes the Magic of Christmas

We’ve delved into System1’s Test Your Ad Premium database to capture the nostalgic spirit of seasonal soundtracks, reflecting on the ghosts of Christmas past and present.

System1 Blog

System1’s Christmas Stars: The 2024 Rankings

Christmas has arrived in adland, and at System1, we’re celebrating by sharing a special gift with you: our exclusive Christmas Star rankings and the insights you need to elevate your holiday campaigns for next year.

Article: Ad Age

Coca-Cola’s AI holiday TV ads—creatives and consumers react to the spots

With three AI-generated takes on its traditional holiday commercial, the brand takes a leap using the tech for TV.

Article: MarketingWeek

Consistency pays off as Aldi and Coca-Cola top Christmas effectiveness rankings

System1’s analysis of 2024’s Christmas ads has found creative with strong brand-building potential is also more likely to drive sales. Aldi’s Kevin the Carrot tops the ranking for both short and long-term effects.

Article: AdWeek

How Coca-Cola's AI Holiday Ad Went From Praise To Rage

Outcry ensued after the brand remade its classic Christmas ad with gen AI, signaling a wider industry dilemma.

Article: MarketingWeek

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.

Article: Little Black Book

System1 Ranks the Christmas Ads with Strongest Sales Potential

Kevin the Carrot wins on System1’s short- and long-term metrics

Article: The Wall Street Journal

AI Ads Can Look Weird. Brands Like Coca-Cola Are Making Them Anyway.

Some people poke fun at AI commercials, but experts say consumers don’t care how they are made—and advertisers want to show they are capable of using the cost-saving technology.

Article: Financial Times

We’re all suffering from qualitynesia now

Coca-Cola's new AI-made Christmas advert was well-received because it heavily relied on a successful creative idea developed by humans over 30 years ago. This suggests that while AI can produce popular content, it often builds on the foundations laid by human creativity.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree: Unwrapping Ad Insights from A to Z

Get ready to dive into a festive A-Z of outstanding holiday ad campaigns from around the globe! We’re spotlighting brands whose campaigns have achieved a 4.0-Star Rating or higher—placing them above the Christmas average and in the top 6% of ads in System1’s Premium Database.

These ads have been rigorously tested with a nationally representative audience of real consumers—no elves, marketers, or Christmas grinches in sight—just genuine reactions from real people!

These shining stars are the ornaments on our System1 Christmas tree, each showcasing the magic that makes holiday ads unforgettable. Celebrate the creative brilliance that made these campaigns dazzle!

Celebrate the creative brilliance that made these campaigns dazzle! And if you’re curious about how System1 harnesses the power of emotion to predict long-term brand success through our Star-Rating system—or if you’d like to explore comprehensive insights on long-term brand building potential, short-term sales potential, and brand recognition from our Premium Ad Database—connect with one of our helpful elves today.

A

Aldi (UK) & McCann

5.9

Amazon (Global)

5.9

Argos (UK)

4.3

ASDA & Havas London (UK)

5.4

B

Barbour & Aardman (UK)

5.6

BBC (UK)

5.9

C

Cadbury & VCCP (UK)

5.9

Cadbury Outdoor & VCCP (UK)

Cadbury Digital & VCCP (UK)

4.1

Capital One & GSD&M (US)

4.6

Chelsea FC & KODE Media (UK)

4.6

Chewy.com (US)

4.5

Chex (US)

4.6

Coca-Cola (Global)

5.9

D

Dick’s Sporting Goods & Hungry Man

4.6

Disney & Adam&EveDDB (Global)

5.9

E

Energizer (US)

4.1

Etsy & Orchard Creative (Global)

5.1

FatFace & Livity (UK)

4.9

G

Greggs (UK)

4.5

GAP (Global)

4.6

H

Harvey Nichols & The Berry (UK)

4.7

H.E.B (US)

4.7

H.E.B (US)

4.2

Hershey's

5.4

Hobby Lobby (US)

5.1

Hobby Lobby (US)

4.7

J

John Lewis & Saatchi&Saatchi (UK)

4.6

K

KitKat (US)

4.8

Kinder (US)

4.3

Kroger & Adam&EveDDB (US)

5.6

L

Lego (Global)

4.3

Lidl & Smuggler (UK)

5.9

Lindt (US)

5.4

M

M&M’s (US)

5.7

M&S Food (UK)

5.9

M&S Home (UK)

4.2

McDonald’s & Leo Burnett (UK)

4.3

Meijer (US)

4.0

Morrisons & Leo Burnett (UK)

5.7

O

Olipop & CALLEN (US)

4.3

P

Pillsbury (US)

4.1

Publix (US)

4.6

R

Reese’s (US)

4.6

Reese’s (US)

5.2

S

Sainsburys & New Commercial Arts and The Roahl Dahl Company (UK)

5.9

SHARKNINJA (UK)

4.4

Suchard & Ogilvy ES (Spain)

5.2

T

Target & Mythology (US)

4.1

Tesco & BBH London (UK)

4.7

Telstra & Bear Meets Eagle on Fire (Australia)

4.1

The National Trust (UK)

5.8

TK Maxx & Wieden+Kennedy London (UK)

5.8

Twinkly (US)

5.8

U

USPS (US)

4.0

V

Very.co.uk & The Gate (UK)

5.4