Everyone's got an opinion about Christmas ads. So we asked members of the public for their expert opinion on films from John Lewis & Partners, Waitrose & Partners, Tesco, Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury's.
The consensus among the participants was that Sainsbury's "The big night" was the best, with reasons being that it "seemed like real life" and was easy to identify with.
Reception to John Lewis' Elton John film was generally positive, but some noted the move away from the focus on "everyday people".
The meta Waitrose ad received a mixed response, with some seeing the funny side and others claiming that it doesn't feel Christmassy enough. However, one participant did acknowledge that it "makes you think of stollen".
M&S was another spot that people seemed unsure on, echoing the focus on celebrity seen in the John Lewis ad. One participant acknowledged he liked it because it was about presents, which he claimed "is probably one of the best elements of Christmas".
Tesco's film seems to lack emotional response according to our sample of the public, but one paradoxically said that they felt "involved".
Overall findings? Christmas ads are wholly subjective, but stay away from celebrities, elicit emotional response and really, really hammer the Christmas message home.
