Brits hit by 'festive fervour' as 2024 Christmas ads loom

With the first week of November being the traditional time for Christmas ads to burst onto the nation’s TV screens, anticipation appears to be building already, with positive feelings towards festive activity at the highest level since measurement began.

New data from Kantar reveals that following a strong showing last year (pictured), two-thirds (59%) of Brits say they “love Christmas TV ads”, up from 51% in 2023, while the proportion of those who say they are “really looking forward to seeing Christmas ads on TV” has risen from 48% to 56% this year.

Kantar head of creative excellence Lynne Deason explained: “Advertisers really raised the bar last year, and the festive fervour we’re seeing now reflects that.

“People were looking for a dose of humour, and while the cracker jokes didn’t always land, broadly speaking the ads did – 32% of people now say Christmas ads have made them laugh – a big leap from 25% last year.”

TV is still king of the Christmas ad channels as, across all age groups, people are most looking forward to seeing Christmas ads on the box. And when people reach for the remote, one in four say it is John Lewis’ ad that they are most excited to see; so the pressure is on Saatchi & Saatchi to deliver.

Deason added: “Emotive storytelling is really powerful, and it has helped John Lewis’ ads make their mark in the cultural calendar each year. But our survey shows that building on the same creative ideas, and also freshening them up, is an often-overlooked feature of the ads that are most hotly anticipated by the public.”

She explained that brands reusing ads or developing creative content within an existing campaign often have a head start over those working on completely new ideas, adding that people are more likely to notice and pay attention to these ads and remember which brand they are for.

After John Lewis, people were most excited about Coca-Cola’s nostalgia and feel-good factor, and the entertaining Kevin the Carrot helped Aldi claim third place.

‘Christmas spirit’ was the factor chosen by most people as having an impact on how positively they felt about an ad, at 53%.

However, Deason suggests: “Good creative shouldn’t disappear with the last of the eggnog. We saw record numbers of people this year saying they wish advertising throughout the year was as good as at Christmas, and there are plenty of characteristics that people enjoy about festive ads that marketers can draw on all year round – such as humour, memorable music or engaging stories.”

Despite high levels of excitement, two thirds of people still feel Christmas ads ‘appear too early’ – but, despite this, research shows that brands should still work to build momentum sooner rather than later.

Deason concluded: “It’s smart for brands to set themselves up for success early and we’re seeing more of it this year, but they need to avoid annoying customers.

“Very’s recent ad is themed around buying toys as birthday gifts, so it starts to foster the association between the brand and gift-giving early on – before its Christmas ad launches – without screaming Christmas or forcing it on people. And as the golden quarter gets underway against a challenging financial backdrop, businesses need to hit the ground running to capitalise on the excitement they created last year – and avoid disappointing their eager audiences. The stakes are high.”