New Zappi report reveals what drove ROI across top U.S. and U.K. Christmas ads
BOSTON, November 25, 2025 — What puts an ad on the top of the “nice list” this Christmas season? New analysis from Zappi, the leading consumer insights platform, shows that the most successful campaigns aren’t the flashiest — they’re the ones that made people feel.
Zappi’s newly released “Lessons in Advertising: Christmas 2025” report draws on real-time consumer feedback collected through the Zappi Amplify Advertising System. The study, which was based on a selection of ads, finds that ads evoking nostalgia and love with strong storytelling delivered the highest returns across the U.S. and U.K.
Ads were scored on five key metrics:
- Ad distinctiveness – Is the ad different from other ads viewers have seen?
- Top-scoring emotion – What emotion did the ad make viewers feel most?
- Brand recall – Did viewers spontaneously recall seeing an ad for the brand?
- Sales impact – How likely is the ad to deliver ROI via short-term sales uplift?
- Brand impact – How likely is the ad to build the brand and drive sales into the future?
Top U.S. Ads
U.S. holiday ads leaned into nostalgia, storytelling and branded assets. Here’s how the following ads performed:
- Coca-Cola’s “Holidays Are Coming” – This AI-generated ad earned the highest distinctiveness rating of all campaigns analyzed (4.4 out of 5) and scored 55% on love (meaning 55% of consumers rated “love” the dominant emotion) — nearly double the 27% norm. Viewers respond positively to the classic truck, the cute animals and Santa – all assets the company has been using in its ads for decades.
- Planters’ “Nuts About the Holidays” – Starring Mr. Peanut, this ad scored 4.3 for distinctiveness and 47% on love, with an unaided brand recall of 70%. It earned the highest sales impact score in the U.S. of 95 out of 100. Consumers love the combination of holiday music paired with engaging visuals.
- Crayola’s “Blue Christmas” – Delivered a 4.3 distinctiveness score and 54% on love. It earned a 94 in sales impact and 91 (out of 100) in brand impact. Audiences find the story to be heartwarming, and they appreciate the feelings of togetherness and inclusion at Christmas.
- Dunkin’s “The Little Holiday Munchkin” – Bringing munchkins, one of its most traditional offerings, to life, this ad scored 4.2 on distinctiveness and 48% on love. It also had one of the highest brand recall scores (80%) and delivered an 89 for sales impact. Viewers enjoyed the journey of emotions, the animation style, and rhyming narration and the comforting feeling of family.
U.K. Ads Deliver Strong Results
While the top U.S. ads performed well, Zappi’s analysis found that the leading U.K. campaigns were especially effective in driving brand recall and emotional impact. Top-performing ads for the U.K. include:
- Argos’ “Thought We Were Just Toys” – Scored the highest for both sales impact (98) and unaided brand recall (89%). Consumers found the ad funny and lighthearted while also appreciating its classic Argos red, along with the presence of characters Connie and Trevor.
- John Lewis’ “Where Love Lives” – Performed well with a 4.1 distinctiveness rating, and its sales impact score was 93. It had a high love score (44%), showing that emotionally led storytelling still defines the gold standard of British Christmas advertising.
- Sainsbury’s “An Unexpected Guest” – Featuring the well-loved characters BFG and Annie, this ad scored a 96 for sales impact and a 95 for brand impact. It also had a high love score of 41%, delivering on all the feelings of nostalgia that audiences deeply connect with.
- Waitrose: “The Perfect Gift” – A 4-minute romantic comedy spot, this ad had the second-highest love score among UK ads analyzed (43%) just under the John Lewis ad. It had a 94 for sales impact and 84% unaided brand recall. Viewers love the story and romantic nature of the ad and also enjoyed the 30- and 60-second trailers that uniquely accompanied it.
“This year’s top holiday ads stood out because they struck the right balance between emotional resonance and distinctiveness, two of the most critical drivers of advertising effectiveness,” said Nataly Kelly, CMO at Zappi. “It’s also notable that one of the top-performing ads, from Coca-Cola, was AI-generated. It shows that when a brand tells a great story and forges an emotional connection, the technology behind it becomes secondary — what consumers remember is how it made them feel.”
For the full ad results and analysis, download the Lessons in Advertising: Christmas 2025 report.
ABOUT ZAPPI
Zappi is a leading consumer insights platform that helps brands win with consumers. Through AI-powered software that delivers connected insights, Zappi empowers brands to make faster, smarter and consumer-driven decisions by leveraging real-time, continuous consumer feedback.
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