As we near the close of 2024, BITE is wrapping up the top 10 moments of the past year and sharing what learnings marketers can take with them into the new year. In at number 5 in our chart is 2024’s crop of Christmas ads.

When you are tired of Christmas advertising, you are tired of (advertising) life. While festive ad commentators have taken to reminding the industry that consumers don’t care about Christmas ads as much as the industry does, 2024 once again proved the enduring cultural power of the Christmas advertising season. As industry leaders agreed bringing the joy back into the festive advertising season was top of the agenda.

The creative moments of respite from the chaos of 2024 came in thick and fast. Disney’s stand-out campaign from Adam&EveDDB underlined the magic of long-form storytelling. While VML’s lavish campaign for Boots was the Christmas casting choice of the season with Bridgerton star Adjoa Andoh in the starring role of Mrs Claus.

BBH London and Tesco beautifully articulated the painful truth of the empty chairs around many of our festive tables this year. A pitch perfect piece of storytelling which underlines that Christmas is not the most wonderful time of year for those experiencing the sharp edges of grief. It is not possible to watch it without shedding a tear.

The necessity of breathing space in the hectic festive season was the insight that cuts through in Starbucks’ Christmas campaign from TBWA\London. The ‘Drink In Breathe Out’ ethos will resonate with consumers and marketing professionals alike at this increasingly hectic time of year.

The power of consistency

The role of Christmas advertising in fuelling overconsumption provided industry commentators with pause for thought. While underconsumption as a TikTok trend might equate to a 10-step no-make-up-make-up routine, for progressive brands sustainability is neither an illusion nor is it just for Christmas.

While commentators highlighted the much-needed light relief of the festive silly season, consistency was the overarching theme of the festive season. As Jemma Townsend, Marketing Director at Aldi UK, asked: “Would it even be Christmas without Kevin the Carrot on our screens?”

2024 saw Aldi celebrate nine seasons of Kevin taking the starring role in the festive ad season. A powerful reminder of the power of brands playing the long game in an increasingly chaotic world.

The festive advertising blitz also brought with it a welcome boost to the economy, after negative pre-budget hype decimated marketing spend.

Advertisers were predicted to spend a record-breaking £10.5bn on Christmas advertising, according to new data from the Advertising Association (AA) and WARC.

The figure represents a 7.8% increase from last year’s spend of £9.7bn and cements the festive advertising season as the UK’s equivalent of the Super Bowl.

The buoyant figure comes as research from Kantar shows positive sentiment towards Christmas ads is the highest since measurement began. Over half (59%) of people say they ‘love’ Christmas TV ads, up from 51% in 2023.

It is not just advertising professionals who are obsessed with the industry’s festive output. Over half (56%) of consumers were ‘really looking forward to seeing Christmas ads on TV’, an increase from 48% last year.

Figures which underline the festive advertising hype is here to stay. A season industry professionals are right to take professional pride and personal excitement in.