While many individuals have a seasonal rule of “no holiday music before Thanksgiving,” advertisers are eager to share their tunes. We’ve already counted over 60 holiday ads to have aired since Kmart came down the chimney with “Merry Birthday” on September 1st. Sixty-three percent of these ads include a jingle bell, snowy cymbal or some other sort of holiday twist on a popular song. Some brands even go as far as to make up their own holiday music—touting sales, Santa and snowmen to the beat of reindeer hooves and elf bells.
With such a large proportion of holiday ads including this festive music, we looked to see which ads had the “best” holiday music according to consumers. It’s still early to call it, but we couldn’t resist shaking our hips to some of these holiday beats. The following three ads had at least 20% of surveyed consumers indicate that the holiday music in the ad was the best thing about the cheerful spot.
Big Lots tops the tree with its original melody in “Nailing Christmas.” Twenty-two percent of survey respondents indicated that the holiday music in this ad was the best thing about the jovial spot.
The combination of the catchy tune, strong holiday scenes and Christmas-clad women all contributed to the ad’s high Attention score, coming in 4% above the 90-day norm for Discount Stores. Additionally, consumers who commented on the ad’s “music” (9%) in their optional comment awarded the ad an Ace Score of 623, which is 12% higher than the ad’s overall Ace Score.
This original song is a bit of a departure from its seasonal theme of ’13, featuring the “Deal Divas.” However, the new twist is well worth it, especially with women who scored the ad 4% higher than the Discount Stores norm.
Overstock.com took a similar, creative approach to its new holiday ad, organizing brand-specific lyrics to the tune of Jingle Bells. The catchy jingle drove 20% of surveyed consumers to say the music was the best thing about the ad. With such strong holiday scenery and song, the ad’s Relevance component achieved a score of 627, which is 14% above the Online Stores norm.
Nine percent of consumers even mentioned the “music” in the ad, with many respondents saying that the music helped catch and keep their attention. No surprise then that the Attention score for the ad is 8% above norm.
Cadillac’s “Gifting” ties with Overstock.com’s ad, with 20% of consumers indicating the music is the best thing about it. Unlike the previous two ads though, Cadillac took a classic song, “Brand New Cadillac,” and put a jingly twist on it. A whopping 15% of consumers even mentioned the “music” when leaving an optional comment for Cadillac after watching the ad. Many consumers said they loved the Christmas version of the song, calling it “catchy” and “festive.”
The well-branded song also likely helped consumers remember which car brand the ad was for. When asked who aired the commercial, 96% of consumers correctly identified it as a Cadillac ad.
While each of these three ads had the best holiday music, it is actually Gap who has the best music (sans a holiday theme) of all holiday ads, year-to-date. Its ads, “I Got Stripes” and “No Secret,” feature classic ballads with holiday themed story lines and visuals. Thirty percent of consumers said that Johnny Cash’s song was the best thing about “I Got Stripes” while 25% said Johnnie Ray’s “Cry” was the best thing about “No Secret.”
We’re still early in the holiday ad game. If you’re curious how your festive spot performed, contact us.
