// Aldi’s campaign has been chosen by consumers as 2021’s best festive ad
// This year is Kevin the Carrot’s sixth outing for the supermarket
Aldi’s Kevin the Carrot has been crowned the king of Christmas as consumer research revealed the campaign has been rated as 2021’s best festive ad.
According to market research company Kantar, which combined consumer survey responses with facial recognition AI technology, Aldi’s advert was the most effective of the 24 festive adverts tested this year.
This year is Kevin’s sixth outing for the supermarket and it has proven to be the most successful so far.
The advert scored in the top six per cent of all UK ads for being both ‘distinctive’ and ‘enjoyable’, and was also the campaign which sparked the most conversation.
After Aldi, Coca-Cola scored the second best, followed by Lidl, Marks & Spencer, and Celebrations, respectively.
Data from Kantar shows that 35% of people feel this Christmas is more important than last, with a particular emphasis on friends and family rather then spending money.
This year’s most successful ads have captured this mood, with Aldi’s advert focusing on traditional Christmas themes such as kindness and togetherness.
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Aldi’s 2021 Christmas ad sees the return of Kevin the Carrot & ‘Marcus Radishford’
“Aldi’s new take on a Christmas classic is a great example of how a brand can convey serious messages about purpose and social impact while still being great fun,” said Lynne Deason, head of creative excellence at Kantar.
“Aldi uses humour effectively, something especially important in a year when we all need an extra laugh, but it also has a deeper sentiment.
“The clever inclusion of ‘Marcus Radishford’ highlights a worthy cause – the campaign to provide meals to those in need – without coming across as too sombre to viewers,” she continued.
Other retailers also increasingly relied on the help of recognisable characters, a tactic which has proved effective in linking messages and storylines with brand names.
Marks & Spencer leant on its well-loved and highly recognisable Percy Pig voiced by Tom Holland, and the ‘fairy that fell off the top of the Christmas tree’ voiced by the comedy legend and national treasure Dawn French.
Kantar’s research revealed that this created a greater emotional reaction among audiences than previous years’ ads from the brand, contributing to its increased effectiveness.
“Overall it has been another tough year for advertisers to get right,” concludes Deason.
“This crop of ads made people smile, but less so than previous years. The ones that did landed best, and people responded better to ads which weren’t afraid to be funny – after the past eighteen months we all need a bit of that!
“Of course, success is still reliant on being relevant, well-executed and having close links to the brand, all of which 2021’s front-runners achieved.”
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