New data from Bynder forecasts that interest in Christmas ads is back on the rise in the UK, after a record low in 2021.
British brands including Argos, Asda and Waitrose have all released their 2023 Christmas adverts this week; something which has now become an annual competition for retail giants to try and achieve virality.
But after years of Christmas adverts leading to over-saturation, has the novelty worn off yet?
Bynder, the global leader in digital asset management, has analysed Google search data to predict whether there is a higher or lower demand for Christmas commercials than last year.
Each year Google searches for ‘Christmas advert’ spike in November in the UK, reflecting the usual date festive advertising campaigns are launched.
In 2016 there was the highest number of Google searches for ‘Christmas advert’ in the UK to date with 126,000 searches in November alone – but things steadily declined from then.
Flash forward to 2021, and this number had decreased by more than 50%, with 58,000 searches that November.
However interest appears to be back on the rise, with a 6% increase in Google searches so far in 2023 compared to 2022. Researchers at Bynder therefore predict that there will be almost 68,000 Google searches for ‘Christmas advert’ in the UK this November.
Google searches for ‘Christmas advert’ in the UK | |
Year | Number of searches in November |
2013 | 54,000 |
2014 | 64,000 |
2015 | 72,000 |
2016 | 126,000 |
2017 | 111,000 |
2018 | 116,000 |
2019 | 97,000 |
2020 | 77,000 |
2021 | 58,000 |
2022 | 64,000 |
2023 | 67,840* |
*Predicted increase based on the 6% YoY increase in 2023 so far
Bynder therefore predicts that interest in Christmas adverts in the UK will be at the highest rates in the past three years.
Also using Google search data, Bynder have also predicted the most highly anticipated brands for Christmas adverts, which in order of popularity, are:
John Lewis
Asda
Aldi
M&S
Waitrose
Tesco
Sainsburys
Lidl
Commenting on the findings, Manisha Mehta, head of global PR and communications at Bynder said: “Christmas adverts have become something of a cultural phenomenon in the UK. For the brand, there is the potential to earn viral viewership through a singular ad, and for the consumer, the ads have become something of a signifier that Christmas is near.”
“It’s no surprise that interest in Christmas ads has dropped in recent years, reaching the lowest point in almost ten years in 2021, coinciding with the pandemic, which inevitably dampened the festive spirit. Although the data predicts that, for the first time in three years, interest in the ads is on the rise again.”
“The landscape for Christmas adverts has changed considerably since the peak interest in 2016. Not only do brands have more adverts to compete with, and significantly lower consumer demand, but marketers will need to create numerous versions of the ad optimised for different platforms. In 2023, a customer will likely see a Christmas advert first on Instagram rather than on the TV, so the significance of having consistency across all platforms is really important for brand recognition.”
