It's official: Christmas has started

As the John Lewis Christmas ad drops, marking the “official” opening of the UK holiday season, one observer has suggested 2022 could be the “best year ever for Christmas ads in terms of emotional effectiveness”.

Why it matters

Household budgets are under extreme pressure and getting the tone right in advertising is particularly important this year. John Lewis’s Christmas ad has arguably been more eagerly anticipated in 2022 than in previous years. As the harbinger of the season, it's something of a benchmark against which other ads are judged.

This year’s ad
It’s a feelgood ad about a would-be skateboarder dad (pictured above) that ends with a message about supporting the future of young people in care – “a lovely little advert, albeit one told in a very un-John Lewis way”, says the Guardian’s TV critic (who is appalled by the soundtrack). 

Industry comment takes a different critical angle: “Strategically, it’s another very strong brand play at a time when all retailers are keeping both eyes on the bottom line,” says Sam Benkel, managing director of retail media at Criteo. He adds the practical note that “synchronising TV with digital channels will be hugely important in driving performance as more than four in five UK shoppers are planning to purchase online”. 

Rating the ads

System1’s annual rating of every new Christmas ad uses the emotional response of real viewers to predict each ad’s long- and short-term effectiveness and gives it a star rating from 1 to 5. 

It hasn’t tested John Lewis yet, but 2022 is shaping up to be a bumper year. “The 2022 Christmas ad season is barely a week old, and we’ve already seen SEVEN 5-star ads,” the agency declared yesterday. Aldi, ASDA, Boots, Disney, LEGO, Lidl and M&S are the brands that have got the thumbs up from the viewing public (just two ads got five stars last year).

Key quote 

“This could end up being the best year ever for Christmas ads in terms of emotional effectiveness,” says Jon Evans, chief customer officer at System1. “Right now the likes of Kevin the Carrot [Aldi], Farmer Christmas [Morrisons], and Buddy the Elf [ASDA] are bringing a spot of much-needed cheer but, in the long term, strong performances now will be good for brands and businesses when the economic gloom lifts.”

Sourced from John Lewis, Guardian System1

[Image: John Lewis Christmas ad]