What you need to know about 2025 Christmas marketing
Partner content
In the Ipsos Race to Christmas, we’re monitoring what the British public has to say, which ads are generating the most online buzz, and tracking the top brands in terms of attention and creative response. Here’s what we know so far…
Ipsos has been monitoring marketing in the ‘Golden Quarter’ for several large advertisers – capturing a weekly picture of how festive marketing is being received by the British Public.
Our study includes ad tracking, social monitoring, passive measurement of web and app traffic, AI ad testing of Christmas ads, rating festive food innovations, polling, and qualitative analysis using our online community.
Here is what we have learned about marketing, media, and the public mood over the ‘Golden Quarter’.
We are feeling the pinch
Especially women, with 54% saying they have less money to spend on Christmas this year than last (compared to 38% of men).
The run-up to the budget made us nervous, and the tension was slow to ease despite delays in key tax rises. Ipsos data shows we are slightly less excited about Christmas than we were in 2024. Almost half (49%) of households are setting themselves a strict budget on Christmas spending.
We don’t like to be reminded of the pinch
Humour, festive favourites and joyful escapism are proving popular. There is tension coming through in one particular campaign that explicitly references tightening belts at Christmas.
While it performs well on some key effectiveness measures, it is also spontaneously recalled as the least favourite ad by 11% of the British public. A little too on the nose for some, perhaps.
We want value if and when we splash out
From the food we buy to how we’re entertained and the things we give our attention to. According to festive food trends, we don’t just want beef, we want Wagyu. Hot maple is the next-gen hot honey, and pistachio is in while crumpets are out.
Being a misfit works
The spontaneous favourite ad of the country in 2025 is Waitrose’s The Perfect Gift, starring Joe Wilkinson and Keira Knightley.
In a year when consumers told us they’re looking for more restrained, budget-conscious celebrations, Waitrose tells a story in which the grand romantic gesture isn’t a diamond ring – it’s cooking a pie for someone you love.
It used and subverted the traditional Christmas rom-com trope. High empathy and high brand fit, blended with high creativity – a combination Ipsos has proven in the book Misfits, drives the strongest effectiveness outcomes. The work stands its ground and has won hearts and minds against long-running campaigns and brand characters.
Fresh familiarity breeds creative effectiveness
The latest chapters in stories from Aldi and Kevin the Carrot, M&S and Dawn French, Sainsbury’s and the BFG had strong branded recognition.
Re-aired ads, such as Amazon’s 2023 Joy Ride, have also performed well, demonstrating that recycling isn’t just for wrapping paper. Sometimes Christmas magic is about revisiting the classics.
People have noticed the food in ads is less exciting, but don’t really mind
You may have noticed that there are far fewer sweet treats, Christmas puddings and salty snacks in this year’s Christmas advertising. This is because most of the 2025 Christmas adverts we have seen are produced to comply with the Less Healthy Food regulations in mind.
In a recent Ipsos Fast Facts survey of UK adults aged 18-75, 25% reported noticing a difference in how food is presented in festive advertisements this year.
However, the change in how the food is displayed has not affected the ads’ recognition by the public. In 2024, supermarkets averaged 33% ad recognition, which has risen year on year to 38% in 2025.
That said, fewer people this year feel the food in ads looks delicious, which can of course affect the ads’ persuasive power. It therefore becomes even more important that the ads are conveying the emotional benefit of the brand over the functional benefit.
Overall, the brands that have pulled ahead in the Ipsos Race to Christmas aren’t just fighting for attention – they are creating genuine emotional connections.
Whether that’s through romantic comedies, nostalgic storytelling, or beloved characters, the lesson is clear. At Christmas, it’s not just about being seen. It’s about paying attention to how people are feeling, building on your big ideas and being remembered.
See the latest Ipsos race results and analysis here: The Race to Christmas
Samira Brophy is a senior creative excellence director at Ipsos