Christmas TV ads: the good, the bad and the emotional
We found out which elements make a great Christmas advert, and what it takes to bring viewers to tears. Here's the full results of our survey.
From this shortlist of memorable Christmas ads (some loved, others not so much) which is your all-time favourite? |
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Answer options | Response percent |
Coca-Cola 1993 - Holidays are coming | 22% |
John Lewis 2011 - The Long Wait | 15% |
John Lewis 2013 - The Bear and the Hare | 11% |
John Lewis 2014 - Monty The Penguin | 11% |
Sainsbury’s 2014 - World War 1 | 7% |
Irn Bru 2006 - The Snowman | 5% |
Yellow Pages 1992 - kiss under the mistletoe | 5% |
Boots 2014 - #SpecialBecause (nurse coming home to her family) | 3% |
OXO 1984 - "And Mummy…. Mummy made the gravy." | 3% |
The Famous Grouse 1995 - the famous grouse | 2% |
M&S 2014 - magic & sparkle | 2% |
Boots 2013 - Small Town Boy | 1% |
Asda 2012 - Behind every great Christmas, there's mum | 1% |
Woolworth’s 1981 - Have A Cracking Christmas | 1% |
Hellman’s 1992 - 12 days of Christmas | 0% |
Littlewoods 2014 - Myleene Klass as Santa’s helper | 0% |
None of these / don't know | 6% |
None at all - don't like Christmas TV ads at all | 5% |
Do you look forward to the annual flurry of Christmas TV ads? |
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Answer options | Response percent |
Yes | 65% |
No | 28% |
Don't know | 7% |
If yes - why do you look forward to Christmas TV ads? (All that apply) |
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Answer options | Response percent |
They get me in the mood for Christmas | 81% |
They signal the start of the Christmas season | 74% |
I enjoy watching them | 66% |
They tend to be great ads | 43% |
My children enjoy watching them | 37% |
They give me ideas for Christmas presents and food shopping | 29% |
They remind me to start planning Christmas | 17% |
They remind me of brands/shops I wouldn't normally look at / visit / consider | 13% |
My partner enjoys watching them | 8% |
Other | 3% |
Has a Christmas TV ad ever moved you to tears? |
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Answer options | Response percent |
Yes | 51% |
No | 47% |
Don't know | 2% |
If yes - which TV ad moved you to tears (most recently if more than one)? |
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Answer options | Response percent |
John Lewis 2014 - Monty The Penguin | 28% |
Sainsbury’s 2014 - World War 1 | 23% |
John Lewis 2013 - The Bear and the Hare | 18% |
John Lewis 2011 - The Long Wait | 15% |
Boots 2014 - #SpecialBecause (nurse coming home to her family) | 6% |
Irn Bru 2006 - The Snowman | 1% |
Boots 2013 - Small Town Boy | 1% |
Asda 2012 - Behind every great Christmas, there's mum | 1% |
Other | 7% |
Thinking about your favourite Christmas TV ads, which of these elements are essential to you? (Top three) |
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Answer options | Response percent |
Great music | 50% |
A quirky take on what Christmas is all about | 29% |
Magic | 27% |
Snow | 26% |
A nostalgic storyline | 25% |
A twist or element of surprise | 25% |
Humour | 23% |
A tear-jerking story | 17% |
Father Christmas | 10% |
Sleigh bells on the soundtrack | 9% |
Realism about all the effort needed to create a great Christmas day | 8% |
A cute animal | 7% |
A cute child | 6% |
Animation | 3% |
Reindeer | 3% |
Piles of presents | 2% |
A famous cast | 1% |
Elves | 1% |
Other | 5% |
Survey of 1089 Mumsnet users in the UK. Conducted in October 2015.
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Last updated: almost 5 years ago