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This is a self-funded case study using our ad testing solution. Curious about the 9 essential ingredients for creating advertising that drives profitable growth? Explore our Creative Effectiveness Playbook.
There’s something undeniably magical about the advertising extravaganza we’re treated to each festive season; it’s the one time of year the wider public is genuinely excited about (and eagerly anticipates!) new campaign releases. In a world where people are largely apathetic and indifferent toward brands and advertising, it truly is a season like no other.
But with lots of shouting from ad testing vendors at this time of year, one of the most frequently asked questions we get is this: Is it really possible to predict the short- and long-term impact of an ad through emotion alone? To answer this question all we must simply do is turn to the empirical evidence and in particular Professor Byron Sharp’s seminal publication: How Brands Grow. In it the role advertising plays is made crystal clear: Building Mental Availability.
To achieve this goal it’s of course fundamental that advertising elicits an emotional response—given it enhances depth of mental processing and strengthens memory encoding. But creating an ad that’s memorable is ultimately only one half of the jigsaw puzzle—its impact is greatly diminished if the brand behind it goes straight over people’s heads or, worse still, is misdirected to a competitor.
That’s why Cubery’s Branded Memorability score provides the industry’s most robust prediction of an ad’s short- and long-term impact, placing an equal emphasis on two mandatory ingredients:
1. Emotional Response 💜 (Captivate)
2. Brand Linkage 🔗 (Connect)
🎄 See the full Christmas 2024 rankings for Australia below and reach out if you’d like to discuss the results in further detail—or if you have a campaign of your own that you’re interested in testing.
Curious about the 9 essential ingredients for creating advertising that drives profitable growth? Explore our Creative Effectiveness Playbook.
May your holiday campaigns be merry, bright, and effective! 🎅
Branded Memorability: 73 (+6 vs. 2023)
2024 saw a new star emerge at the top of the Cubery Christmas tree, with Coles adding an extra string to its already impressively branded bow. While Coles’ Christmas ads have always been strong at focusing attention on the brand (think Curtis Stone and a wash of distinctive red coloring year after year), this year Coles complimented that connection with a light-hearted and playful narrative showcasing how the brand’s commitment to high-quality local produce makes the festive dinner table sparkle. For Coles, this year’s seasonal offering ticked all the right boxes, blending that signature Coles consistency with just enough of a fresh twist to keep things feeling upbeat and exciting.
“Shows that they don’t settle for anything less than amazing quality.”
Branded Memorability: 72 (+15 vs. 2022)
TK Maxx continued its Christmas strategy of attention-grabbing spectacles featuring catchy earworms. But while 2022’s “Simon is Here” was remembered for its grating Christmas carol, this year’s song was received much more positively. Not only was the spoof of the Black Eyed Peas’ “Shut Up” much more pleasant on the ear, but the lyrics’ role as the story’s punchline elevated the ad’s impact. As such, people were left in no doubt that TK Maxx offers high quality gift ideas for bargain basement prices—a positioning that strongly aligned with existing expectations of the retailer (enhancing the likelihood people would remember the brand behind the fun advert).
“I like how the music relates to story, it’s a fun bright ad that is relatable and probably something I’m likely to remember when doing gift shopping.”
Branded Memorability: 71 (+8 vs. 2023)
Love it or loath it, there’s no doubt that ALDI’s quirky advertising style has bedded in as uniquely ownable for the retailer. It’s an exceptional case study by the category disruptor, who now have a style that not only can they call their own, but also continues opening a world of opportunity to explore new creative avenues for standing out from the crowd. Nowhere was this more evident than the brand’s 2024 Christmas creative, whose weirdly wonderful gravy boat story was seen to be more distinctive than irritating (a balance they haven’t always gotten right in past years). The ad proved unmistakably for ALDI from the very first beat of the euro-techno soundtrack and stuffing hand touch.
“Thought it was a clever and fun ad. Thought the gravy boat was a fabulous idea very unique idea.”
Branded Memorability: 70 (New in 2024)
AAMI entered the Cubery Christmas rankings with a bang in 2024, with an amusingly relatable narrative focusing on the inevitable comedown of the Christmas rush. In shining a light on an often-overlooked aspect of the festive season, the brand stood out from other more typical festive narratives (including other insurers) without sacrificing the lighthearted warmth associated with the season. What’s more, despite lacking their typical recognizable uniformed characters, it both looked and felt like an ad for AAMI, ensuring people were able to easily link the memorable story back to the brand.
“Just fun, easy to watch and easy to relate to.”
Branded Memorability: 68 (+5 vs. 2023)
It’s a story as old as Christmas itself. Red is for Coles and Green is for Woolies. It’s these powerful cues that deliver for the supermarket giants year after year, providing creative license to explore ways to elicit a strong emotional response. So, safe in the knowledge that their branding elements will do all the heavy lifting (including their signature jingle), Woolworths built a narrative around a community coming together to create a gigantic carrot in a lush green (there’s that color again!) paddock. What resulted was a simple, wholesome story that effectively showcased how the brand brings people together.
“I liked that all the family came together and celebrated and helped set up the carrot.”
Branded Memorability: 62 (+5 vs. 2023)
Similarly to last year’s spot, Telstra concentrated all their efforts on an emotion-inducing festive narrative in an attempt to break through the competitive clutter. But while this year’s ad took a more lighthearted and amusing approach compared to last year’s sentimental story, the brand’s continued search to find a consistent tone of voice (and set of uniquely identifiable branding devices) meant people again struggled to join the dots together around what the ad had to do with Telstra. So, while the singing donkey was undoubtedly distinctive and well-liked, the ad’s impact on building and enhancing long-term memory structures was much more limited.
“It was different but didn’t explain anything much about Telstra at all.”
Branded Memorability: 59 (+14 vs. 2023)
Avoiding the struggles of last year’s spot (which left people feeling somewhat downcast in light of the festive season), Michael Hill produced a much more uplifting and enjoyable advert in 2024. While the story was slightly lacking in terms of strength of storytelling, the ad still delivered a clear and simple message around gift giving—ensuring the jeweler’s products remained the focus throughout. And although the wintery atmosphere continued to cause some confusion among a summer Christmas audience in Australia, the cozy setting did work to elicit feelings of warm-heartedness, resulting in a refreshing shift from 2023.
“Love the fact gifts are for everyone sharing the Christmas joy with a jewellery gift from Michael Hill. Something for everyone. Makes you feel special.”
Branded Memorability: 57 (Same as 2023)
Myer’s haphazard Christmas strategy continued in 2024, introducing a pink furry antagonist determined to ruin its neighbor’s Christmas. While certainly bold and playful—keeping viewers absorbed in how the story would play out—the ad lacked a clear and relevant connection to the department store. In fact, the only identifiable brand cue revealed itself at the ad’s conclusion: the logo. That said, continuing to deploy the playful monster over time (and potentially in more relevant ways) could unlock a pathway to forming an instant brand connection—which is something the brand hasn’t had since departing from elf, reindeer, mouse, and angel nearly a decade ago.
“Really surprised that this was an ad for Myer - just didn’t seem to be their style.”
Want to test your own advertising, packaging, or product ideas? Cubery combines a team of creative effectiveness experts with cutting-edge technology, bridging the gap between creativity and commercial impact. Get in touch to learn how we can unlock growth for your brand.
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