
2025’s Christmas Ads: Which ones will drive sales?
From The Persuasion Game by Forge
December 16, 2025 · 30 min · Season 1 · Episode 32
About this episode
Media Effectiveness Expert Matt Stockbridge discusses the effectiveness of Christmas ads in 2025 and their potential impact on sales.
“It might not necessarily be the most emotional response ad, but I think it will be one of the most effective.” In this festive episode of The Persuasion Game, Media Effectiveness Expert, Matt Stockbridge helps us unpick the effectiveness of the Christmas adverts in 2025. From John Lewis telling the story of a teenage son connecting with his father, to JD Sports’ user-generated clip sequences, major brands have taken different approaches in 2025. The question is: which will be most effective when it comes to sales? Matt is perfectly placed to help us answer that question, having previously worked on brands including Danone, Cadbury and Innocent. He talks about the need to grab people’s attention, the art of product placement and the power of generating an emotional response. From everyone at The Forge, Merry Christmas and see you in the New Year! CHAPTERS: (00:00) Introduction (05:45) Sainsbury’s: https://youtu.be/QaF1my5h-Os?si=vb5FgcseZ56KCtWU (10:15) John Lewis: https://youtu.be/dc5S4IV_NeA?si=1MIyrA2xCBRvQnYl (18:49) Marks and Spencer: https://youtu.be/EWGYQL0KMoI?si=pCGDrAY8v4pDChZ4 (22:43) Waitrose: https://youtu.be/wWeYKBXmCRs?si=UZHjSlbrsMn4JVfv (24:09) JD Sports…
People in this episode
Guest: Matt Stockbridge
Topics covered
- Christmas advertising
- media effectiveness
- brand strategies
- emotional response
- product placement
- sales effectiveness
Keywords
- Christmas ads
- advertising effectiveness
- brand analysis
- emotional marketing
- sales strategies
- media expert
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: John Lewis, JD Sports, Sainsbury’s, Marks and Spencer, Waitrose, Danone, Cadbury, Innocent
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