ITV and marketing research company System1 have revealed the the 50 top-performing UK ads of 2022.
System1’s Test Your Ad platform has measured viewers’ second-by-second emotional responses to 25,000 ads aired in the UK last year.
Every ad ranked in the top 50 scored 5-Stars on System1’s scale from 1 to 5.9-Stars, with the average rating being 5.4-Stars. Typically, only 1% of ads get the top 5-Star score.
With 21 of the top 50 ads centred on Christmas, it comes as no surprise that Asda’s Buddy the Elf festive ad topped the list, bagging first place with 5.9 stars. The spot famously spliced Will Ferrell’s character from the classic Christmas movie into its own footage to surprising and magical effect.
While Disney and Amazon’s Christmas ads followed closely behind in second and third place, retailers also secured fourth and fifth place. Running from sixth to tenth are M&S and its festive ad ‘Gifts that Give’, Samsung and its Galaxy Z Flip4 ad ‘Curious Cats’, Lindt’s festive ad, Lego’s Christmas spot ‘Build a Playful Holiday’ and Nintendo’s Switch Lite promotion.
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“This past year was an exceptional one for effectiveness, especially during the festive season,” System1 chief customer officer Jon Evans said. “We’re seeing more brands and agencies bring their best creative ideas forward, resulting in ads that deliver on long-term brand building.”
In addition to Christmas advertising taking 2022 by storm, the year also saw emotional engagement increase overall. According to System1, brands were particularly successful in at engaging viewers through emotional storytelling.
ITV director of client strategy and planning, Kate Waters, added: “It’s encouraging to see more brands creating more emotionally engaging ads. But an interesting lesson from this year’s top 50 is the importance of not resting on your creative laurels – relative advantage versus your competitors is what really matters and that’s where brilliant creativity and craft can make the difference.”
