FatFace’s Christmas ad is a surprise hit with viewers, according to ad testing company, System1. The high-street fashion label’s festive spot scored 4.9 Stars (out of 5.9) on System1’s Test Your Ad platform, which measures people’s emotional responses to an ad to predict whether it will drive long-term brand growth.
The minute-and-a-half-long film, called It’s a Wonderful Gift, was created by Livity and directed by Kemi Anna, and it tells the story of a family who share a woolly jumper. The ad will be played in FatFace stores across the UK, and will also run on social media.
Jon Evans, chief customer officer at System1, said in a press release statement that it’s ‘wonderful to see so many unlikely entries making their mark this season. FatFace is one brand we didn’t expect to see this year, but their beautiful campaign featuring everyday families sharing a beloved FatFace Christmas jumper has truly resonated with audiences.’
The average star rating given to ads for fashion brands through System1’s Test Your ADs platform is just 2.5. Supermarkets Aldi, Lidl, M&S Food and Sainsbury’s all scored a maximum of 5.9 Stars with their 2024 Christmas campaigns, as did Cadbury and Amazon.
According to Evans, this year’s crop of Christmas commercials demonstrated a return to happiness, as well as numerous examples of returning characters and themes. Earlier this year, System1 and The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising published research that purported to show that the most creatively consistent brands tended to produce better, more effective ads.
‘Ultimately,’ said Evans, ‘the essence of Christmas lies in simplicity—simple, relatable narratives, familiar faces. The excitement of the season is rooted in humanity and nostalgia, not in extravagance or glamour.’
UK brands are expected to spend a record-breaking £10.5bn ($13.46bn) on media during the Christmas season, according to data from the Advertising Association and WARC. Search will take the largest share of that figure (just over £4bn), but online display media has seen the biggest increase in spend (15.8%) in 2024, rising to just under £4bn. Television, including broadcast video on demand, is the third largest medium by marketing spend, at £1.4bn.
Featured image: It’s A Wonderful Gift / FatFace