According to the data - exclusive analysis collated by Unruly for Marketing - since the ad premiered on social media on Thursday, it has been shared more than 433,000 times making it the "most shared ad" of the past seven days.
In its first 24 hours, the ad, which features a boy Sam and his feathered friend Monty the penguin, was shared 202,953 times, up 2% on activity following the launch of John Lewis' 2013 ad over the same period, which was shared 198,244 times.
"Launching on a Thursday is a great idea," said Unruly EMEA managing director Oliver Smith. "According to our research, nearly half (48.3%) of all video shares occur between Wednesday and Friday, peaking on Friday and hitting the lowest point over the weekend."
"The fact that the ad was not shown on TV until more than 36 hours after launch is significant – with TV consumption falling and online sharing growing exponentially."
Speculating whether 'Monty the Penguin' could become the retailer's most popular ad, he said the choice of a penguin was a "very smart choice" which was not as "divisive" as last year's ad featuring a "grumpy bear", which "was like Marmite".
"This ad goes for all-out assault on your emotions to evoke the magic of friendship at Christmas. Like all the best digital-first ads, it provides viewers with multiple social motivations to share."
However, according to Unrul's data, while the number of shares is accelerating, the ad still has a long way to go before it overtakes the retailer's 2013 Christmas spot.
'The Bear and the Hare' is the third most shared Christmas ad of all time with 1.16m shares. It was pipped at the post only by Canadian airline WestJet's 'Christmas Miracle: real time giving', which racked up 2.17m shares and Kmart's 'Show your Joe', which was shared 1.82m times.
"It's a fantastic ad, but it has some way to go become the most shared ad of the year, which is currently occupied by Activia's World Cup musical collaboration with Shakira. 'La, La, La'. That has 5.7m shares, which makes it the most shared ad of all time," Smith added.
"However, at its current pace, it's certainly on course to make it into the top 10 global ads of the year or even top five. Currently, fifth place is held by Wren Clothing's 'First Kiss', with 1.55m," he said.
Campaignliveus
