Why Christmas Ads Still Matter in 2025

In the UK, the festive season is our “Super Bowl” of advertising. But 2025 feels different. We are operating in a post-TikTok attention economy where the average person is hit with over 5,000 ads a day. Consumers aren’t just tired; they are emotionally selective and highly value-driven.

To break through today, a campaign has to be felt, not just noticed.

This year, the winners didn’t just throw money at CGI. They blended emotion, humour, and modern cultural cues to create real social conversation. OTINGA has analysed the heavy hitters, from supermarkets to telecom using three core pillars:

1. Emotion: Did it actually move people?
2. Attention: Did it earn organic shares (especially on TikTok)?
3. Value: Did it drive brand love and actual conversion?

Here is your definitive 2025 Christmas Ads Report. Let’s dive in.

THE OTINGA RANKING: THE TOP UK ADS OF 2025

1. John Lewis – “The Memory Keepers”

John Lewis did what they do best: they took a simple human truth and turned it into a national event.

• The Idea: A story of a young woman discovering a box of “memory keepers” left by her late grandmother. Each object triggers a flashback, leading her to recreate those rituals for her own children.
• Why it Worked: It hit the “Legacy” trigger. In a world of fast trends, John Lewis doubled down on timeless family rituals.
• The Result: 14M views in 10 days and a massive 12% uplift in footfall.
• OTINGA Insight: John Lewis didn’t innovate, they deepened. They proved that brand maturity comes from owning an emotional truth, not chasing a viral fad.

2. Tesco – “Welcome Back, Christmas”

Tesco swapped high-drama for high-relatability.

• The Idea: A comedic look at chaotic shoppers determined to make Christmas “feel normal again” after a few tough economic years.
• Why it Worked: It provided emotional relief. It acknowledged the cost-of-living crisis without being a “downer,” using self-deprecating British humour.
• OTINGA Insight: Tesco mastered “warm humour.” It’s the perfect tone for a year where the UK needed a laugh more than a lecture.

3. Aldi – “Kevin the Carrot: Kevin’s Big Snow Day”

Kevin isn’t just a mascot anymore; he’s a British cultural asset.

• The Idea: A snowy adventure where Kevin and his veggie friends help a lonely snowman find his cheer.
• Why it Worked: Consistency. By building on the same characters year after year, Aldi creates Brand Equity that other supermarkets have to pay millions to recreate from scratch.
• OTINGA Insight: Consistent characters compound in value like assets. They don’t just sell carrots; they sell a yearly tradition.

4. Asda – “Elf Returns… Again”

Asda leaned hard into “Nostalgia-as-a-Service.”

• The Idea: Using the iconic Will Ferrell character to help Asda staff prepare for the rush.
• Why it Worked: Early 2000s nostalgia is currently peaking. It bridges the gap between Gen Z (who love the “vibe”) and Millennials (who grew up with the movie).
• OTINGA Insight: Using existing cultural icons is a shortcut to attention. It’s high-impact storytelling with built-in affection.

What 2025 Taught Us: The New Rules of Festive Ads

1. Nostalgia is the New Currency

In a fast-changing world, people look backward for safety. Whether it’s 90s soundtracks or old-school family traditions, nostalgia is the safest emotional lever in 2025.

2. The Return of Humour

After years of “sadvertising,” the public has “tear-jerker fatigue.” Tesco and Aldi won because they made us smile. Humour builds a different kind of trust; the trust of a friend rather than a preacher.

3. TikTok is the Real Battleground

A TV ad is no longer enough. Every successful 2025 campaign had a TikTok-native strategy, whether it was a viral filter, a soundbite for recreations, or “Memory Keeper” challenges.

4. Value-Driven Storytelling

The best ads this year didn’t ignore the price tag; they wrapped affordability in sentiment. They showed that you don’t need to spend a fortune to have a “premium” emotional experience.

OTINGA Master Takeaways for Marketers & SMEs

• Emotional Timing > Budget: You don’t need a £7M production budget. You need a truth that resonates with the current mood of your audience.
• Build Assets, Not Just Ads: If you find a character or a theme that works (like Kevin the Carrot), stick with it. Don’t reinvent the wheel every December.
• Design for Recreability: Give people something they can copy or talk about. The ads that win today are the ones that start conversations on social media.

Conclusion: Magic is Out, Comfort is In

The 2025 season wasn’t about ground breaking technology or flashy CGI. It was about emotional honesty. Brands that understood that people didn’t want “magic”, they wanted comfort, togetherness, and a reminder of better days are the ones that saw the highest ROI.

In 2025, the true winners were the brands that stopped trying to be “epic” and started being “human.”

References

• Bitner, M.J. (1992) ‘Servicescapes: The Impact of Physical Surroundings on Customers and Employees’, Journal of Marketing, 56(2), pp. 57–71.
• Deloitte (2025) Retail Trends: The Future of Christmas Advertising. Available at: www.deloitte.co.uk/retail (Accessed: 22 December 2025).
• Hill, S.E., Rodeheffer, C.D., Griskevicius, V., Baker, K. and DelPriore, D.J. (2012) ‘Boosting Beauty in an Economic Decline: Mating, Impressions, and the Lipstick Effect’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 103(2), pp. 275–291.
• Motive (2025) The Evolution of the UK Christmas Ad. Available at: www.motivepr.co.uk (Accessed: 22 December 2025).
• Pine, B.J. and Gilmore, J.H. (2011) The Experience Economy. Updated edn. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press.
• WARC (2025) Effectiveness of Emotional Advertising in 2025. Available at: www.warc.com (Accessed: 22 December 2025).