John Lewis Christmas ad scores highest effectiveness since 2020
John Lewis's latest Christmas ad, starring Snapper the Venus flytrap, has received its highest effectiveness score since 2020, but falls short of making it into the top 10 ads of the year, according to System1
John Lewis’s Christmas ad has achieved the brand’s highest effectiveness score since its 2020 effort, according to data from System1.
However, the ad falls short of making it into System1's top 10 Christmas ad effectiveness rankings for 2023, with a rating of 3.6 stars. System1 uses a scale of one to 5.9 stars to evaluate ads, indicating their potential to drive long-term brand growth and market share.
This year's John Lewis Christmas ad receives a score of 3.6 stars, which is considered a "good" ad for building the brand. Despite being surpassed by competitors like Aldi and M&S Food, who both received the maximum rating of 5.9 stars this year, it is the highest star rating achieved by a John Lewis Christmas ad since 2020.
Last year's campaign, 'The Beginner', received a rating of 3.3 stars on System1's effectiveness scale. In 2021, 'The Unexpected Guest' achieved a slightly lower rating of 3.1 stars. However, the brand's animated montage, 'Give A Little Love', in 2020, received a significantly higher rating of 4.4 stars.
This year's advertisement, featuring a mischievous Venus flytrap and accompanied by Andrea Bocelli's music, falls short of the brand's triumphant 2019 campaign, 'Excitable Edgar', which scored a perfect 5.9 stars. Nevertheless, as the first ad created in collaboration with new agency Saatchi and Saatchi, it shows improvement compared to the previous two years, indicating a positive direction for the retailer.
"Although John Lewis didn't make it into the Top 10 this year," says Jon Evans, the chief commercial officer at System1, "the public's response to their ad has been positive. They can still serve as a valuable example to other brands on how to take risks, generate attention, and turn their Christmas ad into a true spectacle."
While only 1% of all ads receive a creative score of five stars or higher, this year has already seen a noteworthy collection of ads that have surpassed this threshold. The top ten ads in particular have all achieved a rating of five stars or higher.
Three ads, including Morrisons' 2023 Christmas ad, have now attained the highest score of 5.9 stars from System1, alongside M&S Food and Aldi. The amusing advertisement created by Leo Burnett for the supermarket features animated oven gloves joyfully singing Starship's 'Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now' while presenting delectable Christmas feasts.
Jon Evans describes the advertisement as "beautifully simple." According to him, it demonstrates that creating extravagant and expensive stories for Christmas is not necessary. Sometimes, all it takes is one exceptional idea executed brilliantly.
| #1 Aldi | 5.9 stars |
| #2 M&S Food | 5.9 stars |
| #3 Morrisons | 5.9 stars |
| #4 Lidl | 5.8 stars |
| #5 Sainsbury’s | 5.7 stars |
| #6 Vodafone | 5.6 stars |
| #7 Duracell | 5.4 stars |
| #8 Coca-Cola | 5.3 stars |
| #9 Boots | 5.3 stars |
| #10 TK Maxx | 5.0 stars |
Lidl, Duracell, and TK Maxx have also made their debut in the top 10 ads, scoring 5.8, 5.4, and 5.0 stars, respectively. Tesco and other major brands are yet to release their ads, but once they do, System1 will release a final top 10 list later this month.
