Tesco Christmas ad spots a social media hit

Tesco has claimed top spot in the third Top 10 Christmas Ad Rankings by marketing technology company 4C.

This uses artificial intelligence to determine which ads resonated the most with consumers beyond the initial premiere. This year’s analysis included 235,870 engagements with public social media posts across Facebook and Twitter between 30th November and 8th December.

Tesco’s time travelling TV ad spots increased social media engagement with the retailer by an average of 146% in the five minutes following the start of each advert aired on TV, resulting in the highest ‘TV Social Lift Score’.

Morrisons’ simple yet effective use of food porn ad took second place with 137% lift on social after each ad spot on TV and a sentiment score of 74%. Sainsbury’s, meanwhile, played on its humble beginnings to celebrate 150 years of history, with a film depicting Dickensian London – experiencing an average of 83% lift in social engagement in the immediate five mins post each airing on TV.

John Lewis also took a nostalgic approach with Excitable Edgar. However, it generated less social traction and trails 11 percentage points behind Tesco. This year John Lewis & Partners announced its first collaborated campaign with Waitrose & Partners. It took its campaign cross-channel and, in a first, created a Snapchat lens, allowing users an Edgar-style makeover.

Aaron Goldman, CMO at 4C, comments, “This year’s ads reflect the simple truth that you don’t need huge budgets to engage deeply with consumers. For Christmas ads to go beyond the initial hype, a multi-screen approach is key. Cross-channel video strategy is something John Lewis & Partners, Lidl, and Coca-Cola in particular have nailed this year, with TV, social, and physical deployment of their content.”