Battle of the Christmas Ads 2024: Top Picks and YouTube’s Role in Festive Advertising

Over the last few years, Christmas ads have become a well anticipated part of the festive calendar, with familiar characters, storytelling, and emotions taking centre stage. And in today’s digital world, YouTube plays a starring role in this festive tradition, amplifying their reach even further.

There’s no other time of year when people actively seek out adverts like they do at Christmas. In fact, Google Trends data suggests web searches for Christmas Advert are up to 100 times higher at the time brands unveil their festive campaigns! With YouTube now reaching 94% of UK adults, it’s no wonder viewers and brands are flocking here to connect.

Even Coca-Cola, known for its iconic holiday ad that dates back to 1995, is embracing new technology. Their first-ever AI-generated Christmas ad has sparked both intrigue and debate about the future of advertising and proves just how much festive ads have changed.

The Navigate Team’s Christmas Ad Nice List

This year, the Navigate team picked their favourite Christmas adverts from the masses and analysed how they used storytelling and YouTube’s unique features to engage viewers. Here’s what stood out:

Ben’s Pick: Apple’s Emotional AirPods Pro 2 Ad

Benjamin Bonarius, Managing Director:

“Apple’s advert featuring their new AirPods Pro 2 hearing aid feature was an emotional masterpiece. It leaves you wiping away happy tears with a lump in your throat. The cleverly crafted narrative that uses negative emotion to get to a 'peak-end' will help viewers remember this story.

Apple nailed the fundamentals of YouTube optimisation - title, description, thumbnail and even an Audio Described version - but the emotional significance drove its success. With over 1 million views and 6,000 likes in just 24 hours, this demonstrates how a cleverly crafted narrative, building to a powerful resolution, can help a brand shine amidst the Christmas season's busy landscape.” 

Maddie’s pick: Waitrose’s Whodunnit Mystery

Maddie Bentley, Channel Manager:

“Waitrose Sweet Suspicion: A Waitrose Mystery features a star-studded line up and a whodunnit theme that cleverly prolongs engagement. Its gripping storyline with a great cast, got 18,000 viewers voting on the culprit behind the missing No.1 Red Velvet Bauble Dessert.  

 Waitrose really made the most of YouTube’s features for this, optimising all the essentials including thumbnail, title and description.I love how they have extended the campaign by having two parts, an Audio Described version, and 8 Youtube Shorts, driving traffic to their channel and keeping the intrigue alive. As Nathan Ansell, Waitrose’s Chief Marketing Officer, explained, the aim was to “keep the conversation going with customers.”

Hazel’s pick: Aldi’s Kevin the Carrot

Hazel Wija, Account Manager:

“Kevin the Carrot has been a beloved fixture of Aldi’s Christmas campaign for several years. Their advert this year once again includes great storytelling for both kids and adults.

 Aldi considered YouTube optimisation, with a clear title and targeted keywords. They keep Kevin’s character consistent, and drive engagement in stores and online through YouTube Shorts and remixes. Fan's were teased with a number of Shorts released before the full ad was launched, and its end card encourages viewers to keep exploring Aldi’s festive offerings online.”

Jasmine’s pick: Amazon’s heartwarming Simplicity

Jasmine Pinson-Roxburgh, Digital Content Executive:

“The straightforward narrative, and beautiful cinematography, is a highlight of Amazon’s Christmas ad. It effectively communicates Amazon's core selling point: accessibility - you can get what you need, when you need it - delivered in a heartwarming and festive vibe. The understated colour palette and overall aesthetic is refreshing in a landscape where many brands try to grab attention.

 The strong music choice means the most replayed part of the ad on YouTube is when viewers get to see the gentleman take to the stage. Recognising this, Amazon drive viewers to both Amazon Music in the description. They even capitalise on the song’s popularity by highlighting YouTube Shorts remixes featuring the track, extending the ad's reach.”

Sita’s Pick: KFC’s Bold and Humorous Turkey Ad

Sita Sukhanindr, Paid Media Manager:

“KFC took a different route with its bold Kentucky Fried Turkey ad. Blending humour with confidence it stays true to KFC’s core branding. In fact, they trust their product so much that they don’t feel the need to make it overtly Christmassy.

 Embracing the digital world, the ad cleverly integrates on-screen text showing people mentioning KFC online. With a concise yet clear title, its comedic twist and originality truly stand out and spark conversation. The end card cleverly promotes the Christmas-themed Stuffing Stacker burger.”

Rosie’s pick: Sainsbury’s BIG Christmas

Rosie Clack-Walsh, Marketing and Business Development Coordinator:

“A magical collaboration with the Roald Dahl Story Company, brought The BFG to life in Sainsbury’s Christmas ad. Teased in early November with a short 10-second clip viewers were left coming back for more. The ad taps into childhood nostalgia, tying in the iconic characters and vocabulary of the BFG. It’s sentimental but also fresh, creatively tying in the familiarity of Roald Dahl’s characters that you can’t help but smile at.

 On YouTube its bespoke closed captions ensure none of the BFG language is lost and its clever end card outtake keeps engagement until the very last moment.”

Stu’s Pick: Disney+’s Heartwarming Octopus Story

Stuart Stubbs, CEO & Founder:

“Disney+’s ad featuring a cute octopus and a relatable family story checks all the boxes for a great Christmas advert: emotion, a memorable character, and a narrative that resonates. The animated short film draws viewers into a magical world, combining Disney’s legacy of storytelling with the magic of Christmas that keeps viewers watching until the end.

Its optimised description is consistent with the rest of the channel, whilst the subscription watermark drives growth.”

 Sabrina’s pick: Barbour’s Perfect Partnership

Sabrina Robinson, Channel Executive:

“Barbour’s partnership with Shaun the Sheep, is a match made in heaven. The ad combines Barbour’s heritage with the nostalgia of Shaun the Sheep, striking a balance between storytelling and brand alignment. I grew up watching Shaun the Sheep, so this advert is super nostalgic. The best Christmas ads are entertaining to watch, and this one nails it.

To deepen engagement, Barbour released an audio-described version of the ad and a behind-the-scenes feature, encouraging viewers to spend more time exploring their channel.”

Ryan’s pick: Lidl’s Authentic Christmas

Ryan Prouse, Digital Content Executive:

“Lidl’s Christmas ad draws on familiar Christmas tropes but uses them to convey a sobering, meaningful message about the true gift of giving at Christmas time. It draws attention to Lidl’s Toy Bank charity scheme through a story that resonates with viewers, whilst bringing in a quick glimpse of its raccoon character from last year.

 With a clear and consistent approach to YouTube optimisation, including key search terms, the ad balances authenticity and festive cheer. It cleverly utilises a concise title that avoids excessive character use, ensuring it displays perfectly on YouTube. The thumbnail is simple yet effective, capturing genuine emotion without being over-the-top.”

YouTube Engagement for Navigate Team’s Top Picks

So, each Christmas ad resonated with the team in its own way, but how did they perform on YouTube? Here’s a closer look at the numbers:

These metrics highlight how YouTube engagement varies based on storytelling, shareability, and emotional connection. While Apple’s emotionally charged and well optimised ad certainly drew the most attention, Barbour’s nostalgic narrative and KFC’s humour also found their audiences.