United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
Public votes Heathrow’s Christmas ad the best
Heathrow’s Christmas advert, named Bears Return, has taken top spot as the most popular seasonal campaign among the public.
The airport’s ad is the only one to achieve a four-star rating this year in research carried out by data company System1.
The Bears Return campaign is Heathrow’s third in a row to feature animated teddy bears and this year’s ad achieved a score of 79.6.
Verbatim consumer responses included: ‘I loved it’, ‘it was so festive and heart-warming’, ‘good old teddy’ and ‘great ad, hope they don’t go on strike’, according to Marketing Week magazine.
The score is calculated by asking people how they feel about the ad and how intensely they feel, ultimately predicting long-term brand impact on market share and likelihood of purchasing.
Coca Cola’s classic Holidays are Coming ad came second with a score of 76.9 giving it a three-star rating, followed closely by Sainsbury’s The Big Night (76.5) and Asda’s Bring Christmas Home (76.3).
Cadbury, Boots and Aldi also scored three stars, as did John Lewis’s ad featuring Elton John, although it ‘only just scraped into the top 10’ according to Marketing.
Iceland’s much-shared online re-purposed Greenpeace film about palm oil exploitation came at the bottom of the table with one star and a score of 46.1, significantly lower than the second lowest-scoring ad, which was JD Sport’s #IAMJD (62.6).
System1’s head of marketing and market intelligence, Tom Ewing, says consumers have become fatigued with generic Christmas ads.
He said: "People see a Christmas ad and there’s not so much surprise there, it’s what they’re expecting. So brands really need to raise their game if they’re going to stick with the big blockbuster storytelling and move above that."
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
Mark Jaronski of Explore Georgia on FIFA World Cup 2026
Connecting Small Businesses to Global Tourism Markets: Nate Huff of Tourism Exchange
North Carolina’s Resilience: Wit Tuttell on Recovery and Tourism
Kittipong Prapattong’s Plan for Thailand’s Tourism Growth: Taxes, Visas, and Campaigns
James Jin: Didatravel’s Journey from China to Global Reach and the Impact of AI on Travel
Darien Schaefer on Pensacola’s Evolution: From Small Town to Global Destination
Florida Tourism’s Next Frontier: Dana Young on Expanding Beyond the Classics
Patrick Harrison on Tampa Bay Tourism’s Resilience and Marketing Strategy
Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene
Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee
Craig Ray and the Expansion of the Blues Trail
Presenting Mississippi’s Cultural Trails with Katie Coats
BA suspending all Heathrow to Abu Dhabi flights
Turkish Airlines flight in emergency landing after pilot dies
Unexpected wave rocks cruise ship
Woman dies after going overboard in English Channel
Foreign Office issues travel advisory for winter sun destinations