Celebrating big on the little things: Which supermarkets are winning Christmas in Australia?

With Christmas around the corner, supermarkets and grocers in Australia have launched festive marketing drives showcasing their seasonal produce and spreading the Yuletide cheer.

But which grocery chains are sparking the most buzz among consumers with their Christmas campaigns this year?

Ad reach, Brand buzz, Consumer chatter: How grocery chains compare as their Christmas campaigns launch

YouGov BrandIndex data from November 14-27 shows that, among Australia’s largest supermarkets, Woolworths enjoys the highest Ad Awareness (61.1%) – or percentage of consumers who recall seeing their ads in the past two weeks – ahead of Coles (56.8%), Aldi (46.1%) and IGA (24.2%).

In early November, Woolworths launched its Christmas campaign, ‘Celebrate the Little Things That Make Christmas Special’. It follows school children dressed up as various foods – shrimps, carrots, strawberries and more – travelling to a Christmas party, where they perform in costume before feasting with friends and family on a festive spread.

But when it comes to the supermarket brand that consumers have heard the most good things about recently, Aldi leads with the best net Buzz score (difference of all positive and negative comments heard 'on the street') of 31.6, followed at a distance by Woolworths (17.0), IGA (16.2) and Coles (7.8).

In mid-November, Aldi launched ‘Go Big on the Little Things’, a Christmas campaign encouraging consumers to build a festive feast where not just seasonal centrepieces (like turkey and ham) but also side dishes (like sprouts and potatoes) offer “main character energy”.

Meanwhile, in terms of WOM Exposure – the grocery chain most on consumer lips over the past fortnight – Woolworths (39.4%) comes out tops again: ahead of Coles (34.7%), Aldi (30.9%) and IGA (13.2%).

Who’s ringing in the Christmas cheer: How have grocery chains’ brand metrics changed this festive season?

While Woolworths and Aldi registered the highest brand scores as of end November, which supermarkets have most improved between early October – before Christmas campaigning started – and late November?

Comparing daily data from YouGov BrandIndex for October 1-14 with November 14-27 reveals that Coles has seen the biggest spike in Ad Awareness (+7.7%) – ahead of Woolworths (+6.9), Aldi (+7.0) and IGA (+0.9).

Coles extended its ‘Great Lengths for Quality’ campaign for its Christmas drive this year. Staff members are featured going the distance to source top quality Yuletide delights: from triple-smoked ham to locally grown mangoes and Christmas puddings from England’s oldest establishments.

Meanwhile, Aldi enjoys the largest improvements in Buzz and WOM Exposure. Net positive buzz about Aldi increased by +5.8 points, versus +4.1 for IGA, +3.6 for Woolworths and -3.4 for Coles. Consumers who talked with friends and family over the past fortnight about Aldi grew +6.6%, ahead of Woolworths (+3.8), Coles (+3.3) and IGA (+2.7).

As the Christmas weekend and actual festivities finally approach, will Australia’s grocery chains ad reach, brand buzz and consumer chatter markedly change? YouGov BrandIndex’s daily tracking of consumer perceptions will allow interested parties to see just how much – and how soon.

Methodology: YouGov BrandIndex collects data on thousands of brands every day. Ad Awareness scores are based on the question: “Which of the following brands have you seen an advertisement for in the past two weeks?” (% Yes). Buzz scores are based on the following question: “Over the past two weeks, which of the following brands have you heard something positive/negative about the following brands?" (Net score). WOM Exposure scores are based on the question: “Which of the following brands have you talked about with friends and family in the past two weeks (whether in person, online, or through social media)?” (% Yes). Figures are based on a 4-week moving average. Learn more about BrandIndex.

_{Cover Photo by Drazen Zigic}