HEMA, PLUS & Albert Heijn are the winners of the December commercial competition 2023 on commercialreview.nl

At commercialreview.nl we have presented no fewer than 23 participating December commercials to our panel. At least 250 respondents answered 8 questions per commercial, giving us a clear picture of the scores per commercial. In this article we publish the winners and other notable scores.

The winners

The winning commercial of 2023 is from HEMA, designed by Hotel L'Amour. This commercial receives a grade of 7.7. In the commercial we see that the loneliness of protagonist Siepie is resolved with the arrival of buddy Takkie, which is a smart sequel to the Sinterklaas commercial. This reaction sums up the feeling of this commercial very well, making it a deserved winner: “Fantastic. This commercial is so fun that our kids just have to hear it and they come running.”

PLUS, designed by Energize in collaboration with Chris Sant and Dieuwer Bulthuis, came in second place, with an average score of 7.6. In the Christmas commercial we see the story of twin brothers Thomas and William. Even though they live near each other, they live past each other. Apparently separated by an unspoken argument. But: they long for connection and that happens.

The commercial evokes beautiful emotions that fit very well with Christmas. This response from one of our respondents summarizes this well: "Nice short film! You don't realize that you are watching an advertisement"

In third place this year is the Albert Heijn commercial, designed by TBWA\NEBOKO with a score of 7.5. In this commercial we see trainer “Uncle Ko” who, despite the fact that all those teenagers feel like family, spends Christmas alone while he looks in pain at a photo of his daughter with whom he has not had contact for years. Against all expectations, Uncle Ko does not spend the holidays alone. His students use an excuse to lure him to the gym, where an extensive feast awaits him. The greatest gift is his daughter, whom he can hold in his arms again after all these years. The theme 'Christmas is not just about what you put on the table, but especially about who you sit at the table with' becomes very clear. This reaction summarizes the general impression of this commercial well: “This gives me a warm feeling. Happy Christmas commercial.”

We congratulate the winners on these wonderful results!

Other notable results

On the factor 'Incite action', in addition to the commercials from PLUS and Albert Heijn, the Kruidvat commercial also scored high with a 5.8. This commercial, designed by DDB Unlimited, calls for streaming the song “Sing along for Christmas” to donate money to the Poverty Fund. This is a very clear call to action that seems to work well given the results.

On the 'Distinctive' factor, the Staatsloterij commercial, designed by TBWA\NEBOKO, scores the highest with a 7.3. In this commercial we see a beautiful story with the theme “Believe in happiness”. The commercial follows a man who sees his future through a magical cryptex and ultimately chooses love over his destiny.

Being distinctive with a commercial in the December period is challenging, but the Staatsloterij has once again succeeded excellently this year.

The Lidl commercial ends up in the top three on the 'Nice to watch' factor. The commercial, designed by BBDO Germany, scores a 7.6.

In this commercial, the feisty but adorable raccoon superhero saves the day by returning a little boy's lost stuffed monkey. This international commercial with a bit of “magic” is appreciated by our panel, which is well summarized in this response: “Fun, cozy, sweet, appealing”

For the last striking result, we go to the commercial of Schoonenberg Hoorcomfort, which finished in a shared first place as PLUS on the factor “Credibility.” In the Christmas commercial, designed by INDIE Amsterdam, we follow a father and daughter at different moments in their lives. The daughter has been hearing impaired since birth, but thanks to her hearing aid she has been connected to the outside world and to others from an early age. The commercial is well received by our panel, which is well summarized in this response: “Beautiful advertising with something that appeals to people (communication with loved ones).” All in all, a great achievement, especially considering it is the first Christmas commercial ever for Schoonenberg Hoorcomfort.

On behalf of commercialreview.nl we wish everyone a happy and healthy 2024! We look forward to many great (data-driven) campaigns!