Kevin, Fairy and Santas Galore: Big Characters Rule in 2023’s Christmas Ads

System1, the creative effectiveness platform, today revealed the early leaders in this year’s Christmas ad race according to viewers’ emotional response data captured via its Test Your Ad platform. Aldi’s latest Kevin the Carrot spot currently holds a very narrow lead over M&S Food, both ads top-scoring with beloved Christmas characters. 

System1’s 1-5 Star scale predicts commercial effectiveness by measuring people’s emotional response to ads and the intensity of their response. In 2022, an unprecedented 16 Christmas ads hit 5-Stars, predicting exceptional potential to grow market share. 

We’re only halfway through the 2023 Christmas ad season but it’s looking like another bumper year for 5-Star ads, with six already under the Test Your Ad tree and two ads, from Aldi and M&S Food rating the absolute maximum, 5.9-Stars. Both top-scoring ads feature the return of familiar characters, with Kevin the Carrot exploring Willy Conker’s Christmas Factory and M&S Food’s Fairy meeting a pair of animated mittens. It’s a testament to the wear-in power of Fluent Devices like Kevin the Carrot, who debuted at 3-Stars in 2016 and has consistently improved, achieving 5-Stars the last five years. 

Kevin and Fairy are joined by an even more familiar face in the Top 6, with no less than four 5-Star ads so far focusing on Father Christmas. In Boots, a girl and her mum give Santa a present. Sainsbury’s has a kid asking what he eats. Vodafone sees a girl making a high-tech plan to catch him on film. And Coca-Cola imagine a world full of Santas. 

“Santa’s never been this central to Christmas ads, and audiences can’t get enough of Saint Nick this year” said Jon Evans, chief customer officer, System1. “It’s not just coincidence – it's a sign that people are hungry for festive tradition and generosity, the things Santa symbolises best. That makes it even more impressive that Kevin the Carrot and the M&S Fairy can go toe-to-toe with the big red guy in branding terms – a sign of the power of investing in a strong Fluent Device character. Both those ads stress sharing and generosity too. We’ve seen more purpose-led and down-to-earth ads in recent years as consumers deal with crisis after crisis, but this year it’s back to basics as brands put the Merry back in Christmas.” 

The Top 6 Ads 

The UK public’s favourite ads thus far are ordered by Star Rating. Ads level on Star Rating are ordered using Spike Rating, System1’s predictor of short-term sales impact. 

- Aldi - “Kevin and the Christmas Factory ” (5.9-Stars) 

- M&S Food - “2023 Christmas Advert” (5.9-Stars) 

- Sainsbury’s - “This Christmas, one little girl asks one BIG question” (5.7-Stars) 

- Vodafone “Feel the Connection this Christmas” (5.6-Stars) 

- Coca-Cola - “The World Needs More Santas (5.3-Stars) 

- Boots - “Give Joy” (5.3-Stars)