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Ad Matters 7.11.25

It’s felt a bit like waking up to find a heavy fall of snow overnight because suddenly there are Christmas ads everywhere. We love a good festive ad here at the AA – we’ve been tracking them each morning to see what creative delights have been cooked up. Interestingly, many of the big brands have gone early (a week or more than usual). Perhaps it’s a sign of just how competitive things are out there in the battle for customer attention and spend.

Our ad spend figures (partnered with our friends at WARC) help put context to this super flurry of campaigns – £12bn will be spent during Q4. The usual questions arise from non-advertising folk… isn’t it a waste of money, how much does one of those ads cost, and what sort of return might an advertiser make?

Short answer, no, it’s not a waste of money. The exact price of a big Christmas ad is rarely revealed but you need to account for creative, production and media space so we’re talking seven figure-level investments for a special one (probably). As for return on that, our Advertising Pays 2025 report shows every £1 spent on advertising returns £4.11 in profit for medium-large businesses and £1.89 for micro-small businesses. That return is even higher for the best performing, most engaging ads. So, have you picked your favourite yet?

Our must reads: 

  • Our AA/WARC Expenditure Report has forecast £12bn festive adspend in Q4, showing the effectiveness of Christmas advertising. (Yahoo News)
  • Rosie Hanley, brand director at John Lewis, and Franki Goodwin, CCO at Saatchi & Saatchi, explain their nostalgic music choice in the new ad. (Campaign)
  • The News Media Association has urged the Prime Minister to support regional news by keeping alcohol licensing notices in trusted local papers. (Dorset Echo)
  • Working with industry, the Government has launched Discover! Creative Careers helps young people from all walks of life learn about job roles and the many accessible routes into the creative industry – from local college courses, to apprenticeships and work experience. (Discover!)

Our pick of the ads: 

  • Our Ad in the A is of course the much-anticipated John Lewis ad which centred on a father son relationship this year in ‘Where Love Lives’ by Saatchi & Saatchi.

Dates for your diary: 

  • The Campaign Ad Net Zero awards are coming up on 13 November. Book your tickets here to celebrate the impactful sustainability initiatives of agencies, brands, media owners, and more.
  • As UK reps we can access a special discount for our members to attend the Cannes Lions CMO Accelerator London Edition which takes place on 17 and 18 November at MSQ, Covent Garden London. It’s a special course for ambitious, senior-level marketers shaping the future of brand and business in Europe – if you’re interested, get in touch with me to find out more.
  • The ASA’s online industry summit will take place on 18 November, focussing on ‘Protecting Children Online: The Advertising Challenge’. Register here.
  • The Marketing Society’s Annual Dinner is taking place on 25 November, an evening of connection, conversation and celebration. Contact bookings@marketingsociety.com to secure one of the last tables.

And finally, we joined fellow reps at the Cannes Lions annual gathering in central London this week. It is endlessly fascinating speaking with international advertising colleagues about the importance and power of creativity to solve problems and help businesses succeed around the world. This year’s was no different, fostering conversations with folk from places like Mongolia, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Denmark, Canada, Czech Republic, Argentina and more. There’s a great deal of new things planned for Cannes Lions 2026 – we’ll be sharing more in the coming weeks.

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For further information please contact:

Matt.Bourn@adassoc.org.uk
Mariella.Brown@adassoc.org.uk