10 tips for creating your best holiday ad

The run up to the holidays, spanning October to December, is one of the most profitable periods for brands and retailers. 

Amid all the festive cheer of the holidays, advertisers know this is such a critical period for sales that it’s essential to nail their holiday advertising.

This year, we researched ads from brands that are well known for their Christmas ads in the UK as well as some of the biggest and most buzzworthy US ads to uncover what made their ads a success and what we can learn from their approaches.

So what does it take to make a great holiday ad in 2025? Read on for our 10 takeaways.

Let’s start with the obvious: Your ad has to look like a holiday ad.  

This is where classic symbols and visual elements of the holiday season come in. Think: Christmas trees, wreaths, garland, holly, mistletoe, stockings, lights, stars, bells, candy canes, snow and snowmen, gingerbread men and houses, gifts, wrapping paper and bows, nutcrackers, hot cocoa, and of course, the colors red, green and gold — the list goes on! 

Plus, there are so many recognizable characters to consider like Santa, Mrs. Claus, elves, reindeer (especially Rudolph), the Grinch and Cindy Lou Who, Ebenezer Scrooge and the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, Frosty the Snowman, Buddy the Elf and more.

Of course, you don’t need all of these, but you do need to establish the visual look that associates your ad with the holiday season. Because if it doesn’t look like a holiday ad, can you even call it a holiday ad?

But of course, there’s more than just the specific look of the holidays, there’s also the feeling of the holiday season. 

This is a time of connection where people spend time with their loved ones, often participating in traditions that date back to their childhoods. 

Typically, the best holiday ads make people feel uplifted, fill them with joy or take them on an emotional journey. And it’s that emotional connection — the feeling of love and warmth — that makes it feel like the holidays.

In the UK, there’s a reason that the John Lewis brand is synonymous with Christmas advertising. The brand hits us with deeply emotional stories year after year, and those stories evoke classic Christmas feelings.

While there’s no single way to pack an emotional punch, we’ll touch on a few things in the next few takeaways that can help establish that emotional tone.

When you’re a child, the holidays are a magical time. 

We lose a bit of that sense of wonder as we get older, but any references to holiday magic — or really anything that makes people remember their childhoods — are likely to evoke that sense of magic and make anyone feel like a kid again.  

In the UK, Sainsbury’s has done this well for the last two years by using the BFG — a character we don’t associate with Christmas but do remember fondly from our childhoods. The M&S fairy always brings a little Christmas magic with her as well, like this year when she turned an M&S truck into a beautiful Christmas party. 

We also liked L.L.Bean’s approach to nostalgia. Their US ad used found footage of real families’ Christmases to remind us that L.L.Bean has been a part of Christmas for over 100 years. No actual magic, but a true sense of nostalgia and tradition.

Many successful holiday ads feel like short movies, complete with a strong story arc and often Christmassy feel. While the emotions evoked throughout each ad may range from laughter to sadness, they always conclude with a happy ending — sometimes an unexpected one.

Sainsbury’s and Waitrose's ads are great examples of that this year, both telling complete stories that end on a high note and remind people of what the festive season is all about. 

To execute this well, think of your ad as a short movie and take inspiration from any great story you’ve ever seen: Start with a hook, establish the setting, characters and scenario, introduce a conflict or struggle and build on the tension until it reaches a climax, with a satisfying resolution that leaves people with a good feeling.

Music also sets the tone of your ad and helps bring out the right emotions. And it’s particularly important for holiday ads because (as we’ve seen in our research) ads with more prominent music are more likely to generate higher levels of love than those with less prominent music. 

That doesn’t mean you need music to set the tone in your ad, but it can certainly help enhance the emotional impact and holiday vibes. 

This year in the UK, Asda’s reworked version of “Let It Snow” set the upbeat tone of the ad and told the story through the lyrics. “Where Love Lives” from John Lewis used the 90s classic dance song to evoke nostalgia and help audiences understand the memories the main character was experiencing in the ad — with very little spoken dialogue. And Argos’ ad had a fun twist with the help of music: You think the main character is in danger until you discover he’s being taken shopping. To help sell that sudden tonal shift halfway through, the ad abruptly cuts to “Jingle Bells.” 

And of course, in the US, Coca-Cola’s “Holidays Are Coming” uses its classic song of the same name to make us feel excitement and anticipation for the holidays.

When advertising around a holiday like Christmas, you run the risk of the seasonal elements in the ad overshadowing your brand. The last thing you want is for audiences to love the ad, but just remember it as “that great Christmas ad” rather than your brand’s Christmas ad. 

The reality is, people tend to remember an overall summary of an ad, and if your brand or product isn’t a part of that summary, it probably won’t get credit for the ad. 

In the US, Walmart did a good job giving their brand a role this year. The setting and characters were new to the brand’s advertising, but the Walmart brand still shone through as the hero of the story. The story can’t be played back without talking about how the Whos discovered they could do all their holiday shopping at Walmart. 

This is even easier with distinctive brand assets (DBAs). DBAs are a branding shortcut that can help people identify your brand — even if the brand itself doesn’t have as prominent a role in the narrative. 

In the UK, Aldi has done this very well by establishing a DBA in Kevin the Carrot. After 10 years using the character, neither Aldi food nor the supermarket itself need to play a big role in the ad for everyone to recognize it as an Aldi ad! 

The takeaway here? Pay close attention to the role of your brand in your ad to make sure you get credit for your investment. 

Remember that while the holidays are a critical time of the year for advertising, your holiday ads don’t stand alone. They should be part of the bigger picture of your brand identity. In other words, your holiday ad must feel like your brand and connect to how your brand shows up through the rest of the year. 

Many UK brands do this very well every year. 

Aldi’s typical tone is often funny, playful and a bit cheeky. Asda is also lighthearted, but with a focus on value and affordability. M&S is more about sophistication and incredible food. You only need to scroll through each of their social media accounts to see this! And each of their Christmas ads are consistent with these values. 

So avoid thinking about your Christmas ad in isolation. Rather, think about it as the continuation of the work you do all year long, but with a fun, seasonal theme!

It may be easy to get caught up in the festive vibes of your holiday ad, but don’t forget that your ad is there to serve a purpose. 

That purpose could be as simple as creating the right feeling or warmth that you want associated with your brand at this time of year, or it could be reminding people what your brand offers that really matters at Christmas. 

It could even be changing the public perception of your brand — which should be part of your broader advertising strategy through the year (public perception isn’t going to change dramatically thanks to one Christmas ad!). 

In the UK, Argos has been working toward changing the public perception of the brand (it’s not just a toy store!) for several years. This year’s Christmas ad builds on the work that has come before and uses the brand’s existing mascots to do it. And M&S’ Christmas ad conveyed the idea that the brand’s high quality food is perfect for Christmas. 

In the US, Starbucks’ ad expressed that togetherness is important during the holidays — and Starbucks offers a place to connect. 

Each of these jobs to be done are quite different, but it’s clear the ads play a key role in each brand’s overall strategy.

It's also important to remember not to try to do too much. It can be tempting to throw everything at your holiday ad to make it as festive as possible, to include a celebrity or two to stand out for instance or to use a recognizable Christmas song just because. 

But you risk losing your audience if there’s too much going on. Or worse, losing your brand in the spectacle. 

Instead, include only what needs to be there to tell the story you want to tell and evoke the emotion you want to convey. 

Finally, and perhaps most critically, the day your ad airs shouldn’t be the first time any consumer is seeing it. 

Professional comedians don’t come out on a big stage and riff about whatever they’re thinking about that day. They try out new jokes with smaller audiences over time to land on the best material told in the way that gets the most laughs. Then they take what they’ve learned to the big stage. 

The same applies to your Christmas advertising. 

Consumers should be brought into the process early and often to help you pick your direction, shape your story and optimize the final campaign.

With a deep understanding of what works with consumers, you’ll be able to create effective ads that drive sales during the holiday season and build your brand into the long term — meaning you can create holiday advertising you feel confident in.

With all of this advice, you might be a bit overwhelmed. Be festive. Make an emotional connection. Give your brand a role. Tell a story. Be authentic and consistent. Focus on tradition and nostalgia. Don’t forget the jobs to be done. But don’t do too much! Remember to keep it simple. 

At the end of the day, while all of these elements are helpful to keep in mind, you ultimately need to move forward with what works for your brand, story and your consumer. Because while each of these aspects can help you create a solid holiday ad, it’s consumer feedback that will help you create a winning ad that stands out to your audience and is remembered.