Cadbury’s ‘Secret Santa’ ad has taken the top spot in Kantar’s lineup of 2024 Christmas ads.
The confectionery brand’s IPA award-winning campaign topped the selection, excelling in brand differentiation and meaningfulness, despite being a re-run of a 2022 work.
The ad, said Lynne Deason, head of creative excellence at insights firm Kantar, is “a fantastic example of this, harnessing the power of consistency with a very distinctive ad which is clear on what the brand wants to be famous for. No one else could tell its story about generosity in the way that it does, reinforcing those relevant brand associations in people’s minds.”
Iconic retailer M&S also made a significant impact with its Christmas food campaign, which proved to be the most persuasive festive ad of the year and its most powerful TV campaign to date.
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Brands have shown particular skill in extending their campaign ideas across various media contexts, including their own channels such as customer apps. Kantar data suggests that ads tailored to specific media contexts are 57% more effective.
Coca-Cola remained in the top 100th percentile for branding for its AI-infused iteration of Holidays are Coming.
“The ingredients that drive Coca-Cola’s effectiveness are still very present including the most enjoyable music track this year,” Deason added, “instant recognition of the ad’s branding and a sense of familiarity and nostalgia that people can connect to.
“Whatever tools creatives use, keeping the focus on the elements that fuel and underpin an audience’s response to an ad is vital. People rarely care about how an ad is made, it’s what it makes them feel and remember that’s important.”
