Today, social media management and analytics company Sprout Social released new social media data that found ‘The Beginner’ Christmas advert from John Lewis has received over 21,000 mentions on Twitter, allowing for an enormous 367 million potential impressions. Whereas Asda’s festive advert featuring Will Ferrell’s Buddy the Elf came second with over 10,000 mentions and racking up nearly 140 million potential impressions.
Sprout Social analysed the Twitter traffic for the biggest retailers’ Christmas ads including John Lewis, M&S, Sainsburys, Aldi UK, Tesco and Asda between 1st and 16th November. To date, these six retailers have received more than 683,000 likes, comments and shares since launching their respective ads—evidence of the enduring popularity of this moment in the advertising calendar.
John Lewis’ ‘The Beginner’ received 110,050 engagements, including 4,551 comments, 13,247 shares and 92,256 likes since its release.
By comparison, Asda’s ‘Have your Elf a Merry Christmas’ racked up 68,594 total engagements – breaking down into 2,410 comments, 6,027 shares and 61,149 likes.
The major retailers’ adverts spanned the full range of styles this year. Tesco focused on food, drink and merriment; Asda made us laugh with a familiar film character and John Lewis made us optimistic about people helping and being helped in society.
According to the 2022 Sprout Social Index, company alignment with personal values is 74% more important to consumers than in 2021. This increase may help explain why John Lewis’ advert has achieved so much engagement and so quickly on social media.
“Authentic advertising continues to generate excellent return on investment, especially at Christmas. 81% of consumers in the UK and Ireland think it’s important for brands to raise awareness and take a stand on sensitive topics. Clearly this point of view has translated into social media traction for John Lewis.” said Gerard Murnaghan, General Manager at Sprout Social.
“When brands choose to take a stand on an issue or put a charitable cause at the heart of a campaign, it can inspire brand loyalty, influence purchase behavior and help them stand out from competitors.. As the sprint to the end of the holiday season continues, brands can take note from John Lewis’ success for their own holiday campaigns. It is clear that when brands prioritise charitable giving and causes that are important to them it will resonate in the hearts of consumers.”
