Disney crowned most emotionally engaging UK Christmas Ad for second year running

New figures released by global programmatic television advertising platform, Unruly, show the most emotionally engaging UK Christmas ads of 2021. Disney’s ‘The Stepdad’ narrowly topped Tesco’s ‘Nothing’s Stopping Us’ campaign, giving The Walt Disney Company its second UK Christmas Number 1 in as many years. 

36% of those who saw the advertisement had an intense positive emotional response to the content, which features… yep – you’ve guessed it – Stepdad Mike attempting to win the love of his stepchildren, Max and Ella.  

Tesco missed out on this year’s topspot by just 0.1%, while there were also strong reactions to Coca-Cola, McDonalds, and John Lewis, as well as a second highly ranking entry for Disney in the form of its Disneyland Paris campaign. 

Top 10 UK Ranking

Unruly analysed the emotional responses of consumers around the world, to more than 50 of this year’s global festive ads. Approximately 7,200 consumers were analysed on a global level, with a sample size of 2,000 for this specific UK study. Ads were ranked on the intensity of their emotional response, taking into account the normal levels in each market to give a fair global comparison. 

Positive signs for the global advertising industry

Terence Scroope, VP of Insights & Solutions for Unruly EQ said: “It is encouraging to see a strong bounceback in ad-spend from advertisers marketing their products this festive season, after 2020’s Christmas budgets were cut in conjunction with the bleakness of lockdown.” 

“Interestingly many ad campaigns have moved away from any Covid-19 themes, despite the ongoing pandemic and uncertainty. However, Tesco hinted at this in their ad touting a vaccinated Santa Claus and scored a very impressive second place for the ad, demonstrating that consumers engage emotionally with ads that speak to their reality.”

Bounceback is an appropriate word, as we recently reported that global ad revenues are predicted to reach record figures for 2021, although how the emergence of the new Omicron version of the virus affects things going into 2022 remains to be seen. 

Main Image: Adbobe/HTGanzo