Kevin the Carrot dominates Aldi's Christmas ad effectiveness rankings
Aldi's Christmas ad featuring Kevin the Carrot takes the lead against M&S Food with a perfect 59 stars on System1's Test Your Ad platform The return of beloved brand characters adds an extra touch of festive nostalgia
Aldi has taken the top spot in the 2023 Christmas ad effectiveness rankings with the reappearance of 'Kevin the Carrot', achieving the retailer's highest possible score. Source: Aldi/McCann
The Christmas ad season is well underway, even though it's only early November. Several retailers and brands, such as Asda, Aldi, and M&S, have already unveiled their holiday campaigns.
Aldi is currently leading the way in terms of ad effectiveness with its beloved character Kevin the Carrot returning for another festive journey. This time, he takes on a Willy Wonka-inspired adventure titled 'Kevin and the Christmas Factory', which has received an impressive 5.9 stars on System1's effectiveness rankings - the highest possible score for any ad.
On a scale from one to 5.9, the star ranking indicates the potential of an ad in building a brand. Any ad that surpasses a rating of five is considered "exceptional", a distinction achieved by less than 1% of ads on the platform. This year, there are already six festive ads that have received a rating of five stars or higher.
Aldi's Kevin narrowly beat an advertisement that featured another brand character from M&S Food. M&S brought back its Christmas fairy, voiced by Dawn French, for another year in an ad that also received the highest rating of 5.9 stars.
Kevin has been used by Aldi since 2016, while M&S's fairy has been appearing in ads since 2021. When Kevin first debuted in 2016, Aldi's Christmas campaign received a good rating of three stars. However, since then, Aldi's ads have consistently achieved exceptional ratings of five stars or higher for the past five years.
System1's Chief Customer Officer, Jon Evans, observes that M&S, like Aldi, has successfully allowed their brand character to become familiar to audiences over the past couple of years, which seems to have yielded positive results.
Additionally, Sainsbury's (with 5.7 stars), Vodafone (with 5.6 stars), Coca-Cola (with 5.3 stars), and Boots (with 5.3 stars) have all surpassed System1's five-star benchmark with their 2023 holiday advertisements. Notably, all four of these ads feature Santa Claus in some form, indicating that he is resonating with viewers this year.
| #1 Aldi | 5.9 stars |
| #2 M&S Food | 5.9 stars |
| #3 Sainsbury’s | 5.7 stars |
| #4 Vodafone | 5.6 stars |
| #5 Coca-Cola | 5.3 stars |
| #6 Boots | 5.3 stars |
According to Jon Evans, System1's chief customer officer, Santa has taken on a more prominent role in Christmas advertisements this year, and audiences are showing a strong desire for festive tradition.
Kevin the Carrot and the M&S Fairy's ability to compete with the popular red brand character is even more impressive, highlighting the significance of investing in a strong and recognizable character. This year, brands are focusing on returning to the traditional essence of Christmas.
Jon Evans, System1
Another theme with the top-scoring ads this year has been emphasising the fun, sharing and generosity of the festive season.
"We have witnessed a rise in purpose-driven and relatable advertisements in recent years, reflecting the challenges faced by consumers amidst multiple crises. However, this year, brands are going back to the fundamentals, reviving the holiday spirit with their campaigns," notes Evans.
Although this year has seen six ads surpassing the "exceptional" five-star rating, it falls short compared to last year when 11 festive ads achieved that distinction.
Asda's Christmas ad, featuring Buddy the Elf, received the highest score of 5.9 stars in the 2022 rankings. However, their current Christmas ad, featuring singer Michael Bublé, did not make it into System1's top rankings.
In terms of effectiveness, Aldi appears to be the clear winner this year so far. It has also secured the top position in Zappi's rankings for the best retail festive ads. These rankings take into account brand appeal and the ad's ability to influence behavior, resulting in a score out of 10.
Aldi scores 8.1 in Zappi’s ranking. As in System1’s rankings, M&S Food also performs strongly, and is ranked third, scoring 7.8.
