Supermarkets on social media. Who is winning Christmas twenty twenty five

Christmas advertising has become a national sport. Once a duel fought on television, it is now a full scale digital contest where supermarkets battle for attention through creators, festive stunts and emotional storytelling. And while Waitrose may have captured hearts with a cinematic romance that set the internet glowing, the data crowns a very different winner. Tesco has taken the throne this year, sweeping engagement, creator partnerships and earned media value with a strategy built for modern Christmas culture.

The numbers that matter

Tesco leads by an extraordinary margin. Earned media value stands at two point six million pounds. Asda follows at eight hundred and fifty six thousand pounds. M and S Food lands at eight hundred and eleven thousand pounds.

These three form the top tier of Christmas twenty twenty five performance, but the stories behind the numbers reveal how the season truly played out.

The Yorkshire Pudding Toastie reel was a big winner for Tesco this year

Waitrose wins the nation’s affection, but not the metrics

Waitrose delivered the most emotionally charged advert of the year. A gentle, romcom inspired narrative starring Keira Knightley and Phil captured over one hundred and five thousand likes on Instagram. It became a talking point, a piece of festive escapism that lived beyond the screen.

Yet the surrounding influencer activity could not match the impact of the hero spot. Working with only eighty one creators, Waitrose played a quieter game. Even the nostalgic Gavin and Stacey themed reels around “How to Say It With Food” achieved modest results, with engagement topping out at thirteen point seven thousand likes. Beautiful storytelling can move people, but without amplification, the conversation does not always follow.

Tesco understands the modern Christmas better than anyone

Tesco’s main advert, “That is What Makes It Christmas”, may have landed softly on its owned channels, drawing a little over six thousand likes. But Tesco did not lean on a single moment. Instead, it built an entire festive ecosystem through creators who specialise in the ways people actually celebrate. Cooking, hosting, gifting, decorating, planning and finding shortcuts to survive December.

The scale of its influencer activity is unmatched. Two hundred and eighty six creators in total. Sixty four on TikTok. Two hundred and twenty two on Instagram.

This is not a campaign. It is an infrastructure. And it worked.

Tesco commanded one hundred and eighty eight thousand Instagram interactions and claimed forty one point seven percent of the platform’s share of voice. It pulled ahead of Sainsbury’s by more than one hundred thousand interactions and left Waitrose far behind with only two point five percent.

The success came from authenticity rather than star power.@laurenscravings delivered over three point one million views with her Yorkshire Pudding Toastie.@thehomethestimsonsmade reached one point five million views with under ten thousand followers.

Tesco proved once again that everyday creators, when tapped with precision, can outperform celebrity campaigns.

Lidl delivers the cleverest idea of the season

If Tesco ruled engagement and Waitrose won hearts, Lidl took the prize for originality. Lidl Wrapped, a playful, Spotify style concept that turned shopper data into unique wrapping paper for each UK city, became a runaway hit.

It generated three hundred and eighty five thousand pounds in earned media on Instagram and six point nine nine million views on Lidl’s own channels. The brand then took the idea on the road with a free gift wrapping tour across the country until eleven December.

Creators including @thedarcytwins added further momentum, while Joe Swash and Stacey Solomon fronted a hu

morous series exploring what a personal shopping Wrapped might look like.

M and S Food and Asda deliver with consistency and scale

M and S Food leaned into festive familiarity with Dawn French returning to the screen. The brand activated two hundred and seventy four Instagram creators, the highest volume of any supermarket, and generated twenty eight thousand likes on its main spot. It landed well but lacked the viral spark of Tesco or the conceptual brilliance of Lidl, placing it comfortably in third for earned media.

Asda focused on entertainment led content, especially on TikTok. A festive movie night reel from @daniellemsands23 pulled in over four point three million plays, evidence that Asda understands humour and family culture on the platform better than many competitors. It translated into eight hundred and fifty six thousand pounds of earned media which secured Asda second place overall.

Sainsbury’s brings back the B F G but struggles to convert attention

Sainsbury’s returned to the gentle magic of the B F G, yet the advert did not ignite on owned channels, drawing only one thousand seven hundred and fifty one Instagram views. The supermarket’s creator partners filled the gap. @kimberlysjourneyy alone generated over one point two million views for a festive themed reel.

It was a reminder that in twenty twenty five creators remain the real engine of reach.

The Christmas twenty twenty five verdict

Waitrose created the most beautiful story.Lidl delivered the smartest idea.Asda and M and S performed with scale and confidence.

But Tesco understood the assignment better than anyone. Christmas is no longer won by a single advert. It is won by a network of voices, each reflecting a different part of the season. Tesco built that network, and the numbers show exactly why it emerges as this year’s undisputed social media champion.