The year 2025 brought British television advertising an exceptional mix of emotion, provocation and strategic precision. From the nostalgic Christmas hit by John Lewis, through the controversial gravy cult of KFC, to the Grand Prix-winning campaign in the small business software sector – this year's screens proved that television remains the most effective advertising medium in the UK.
Here are five campaigns that dominated industry rankings, award ceremonies and public debate in 2025.
Television in the UK: a medium that cannot be replaced
Before we get to the campaigns themselves, it's worth looking at the numbers that explain why the best brands still bet on the screen.
According to the AA/WARC Expenditure Report, total UK advertising spend reached £46.9 billion in 2025, up 10.1% year on year. Total television advertising spend amounted to £5.3 billion – holding steady at a level close to 2024 despite the steady drift of viewers towards streaming platforms.
The Profit Ability 2 study, conducted by Thinkbox and based on an analysis of more than £1.8 billion invested in media by 141 brands across 14 categories, confirms television's superiority in generating advertising profit. Television accounts for 54.7% of all profit generated by advertising, with an average return of £5.61 for every pound spent.
By comparison, social media advertising generates only 3.4% of total advertising profit. What's more, according to the Thinkbox and Tapestry Research report "Staying Power: The Longevity of Advertising" from November 2025, purchase intent after seeing a TV ad declines by an average of just 14% over eight weeks, while on social media it drops by as much as 26%.
"Television is the best place for a brand to be. TV is a proven medium for defending price premiums and building business resilience in uncertain times." – Lindsey Clay, CEO of Thinkbox.
Against this backdrop, the five campaigns below show how different strategies – from pure nostalgia to provocative absurdity – could turn television's potential into a genuine cultural and market effect.
1.
John Lewis – "Where Love Lives": the most emotional Christmas ad in a decade
Every year in the UK has its moment: the premiere of the John Lewis Christmas ad. In 2025, the campaign was handled by Saatchi & Saatchi, and the end result turned out to be something not seen in years.
The two-minute film, directed by Jonathan Alric of the duo The Blaze, tells the story of a father who, among scattered presents, picks out an unsigned package for himself. Inside – a vinyl record with Alison Limerick's hit "Where Love Lives".
The needle drops into the groove and the father is transported back to the 1990s, to the dance floor of his youth, only to see a moment later how his son – now a teenager – stands beside him and looks at the tears in his eyes.
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The campaign tagline reads: "If you can't find the words, find the gift". A new version of the classic was recorded by Labrinth, and the limited-edition vinyl went on sale in John Lewis and Rough Trade stores – with all proceeds supporting the Building Happier Futures programme. The campaign debuted on 4 November 2025, exclusively for 24 hours for members of the My John Lewis loyalty programme.
"This year's John Lewis Christmas campaign is a celebration of connections, memories and unspoken emotions that make this season truly magical." – Rosie Hanley, Director of Brand at John Lewis.
The analytics platform DAIVID studied viewer reactions and found that the ad evoked strong positive emotions in 55.8% of viewers – a result 15% higher than the average for all ads.
The campaign turned out to be the most emotionally engaging John Lewis Christmas ad since 2016 (the "Buster The Boxer" campaign). Feelings of warmth were 124% higher than the norm, gratitude 106% higher, joy 100% higher, and nostalgia 34% higher. The deliberate return to the brand's roots – a simple story, emotion and music as a bridge between generations – turned out to be a bullseye with both critics and ordinary viewers.
2.
KFC – "Believe: All Hail Gravy": the controversy that became the viral moment of the year
If there were an award for the campaign that sparked the most conversation in 2025, it would undoubtedly go to KFC and the agency Mother London. The brand returned with the second chapter of the Believe series, and the title – All Hail Gravy – said it all.
In the two-minute film directed by Vedran Rupic, a man wanders through a forest, encounters a mysterious procession carrying a golden egg and in the finale is… submerged in a lake of gravy, only to be reborn as a piece of fried chicken.
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More than 1,000 complaints about the ad were filed with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) – viewers accused it of profaning baptism, glorifying cults and promoting cannibalism. The regulator, however, decided not to open an investigation.
Paradoxically, the controversy only strengthened the power of the message: the ad dominated social media conversations and cemented KFC's position as a brand unafraid to break out of the boring fast-food advertising template.
"We had to take a bold step to stand out. It's a sea of grey – safety everywhere – and we decided to do something polarising."
– Leo Sloley, Head of Brand and Retail, KFC UK & Ireland.
In industry rankings, the campaign was included among the best ads of the year both for the originality of its creative and for the strength of its cultural impact. Its absurdist humour, references to the aesthetic of Yeezy festivals and inspiration from horror cinema in the style of Ari Aster combined into something the key players in the QSR market did not dare to do.
The campaign proved that in an era of fighting for viewer attention, provocation – if it is well thought out – can be the most effective communication strategy.
3.
Yorkshire Tea – "Brewdunnit": Sarah Lancashire vs the biscuit thief
When Yorkshire Tea announced that the star of the next instalment of its legendary Where Everything's Done Proper platform would be Sarah Lancashire CBE – an actress from Lancashire, a county that has rivalled Yorkshire since the 15th century – the whole of Great Britain sensed a note of mischievous humour in it.
The best ads in Great Britain: campaigns that conquered the screens
The Brewdunnit campaign, created by the agency Lucky Generals (production: Stink Films, direction: Traktor), debuted on 8 January 2025 as a slot in the programme Grantchester on ITV1 at 9:00 pm.
In the ad, Lancashire plays the head of security at the Yorkshire Tea headquarters in Harrogate and leads an investigation into the disappearance of biscuits from the office kitchen. She interrogates Barry, extracts testimony from Anya, tracks the culprit through CCTV footage and evidence in the form of a left-behind packet. Just when it seems the case is solved, a stapler goes missing – and the investigation returns to square one. The campaign was also broadcast for the first time on Netflix and Amazon Prime, as well as in cinemas.
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The Where Everything's Done Proper platform has been running since 2017 and has helped Yorkshire Tea take the number one position among teas in the UK. The series has so far collected, among others, a Grand Effie and a Gold IPA Award. Previous instalments featured Sir Patrick Stewart, Sean Bean and Sir Michael Parkinson.
Brewdunnit with Sarah Lancashire continues the tradition of casting genuine stars who can inspire authentic delight – without a trace of artificial celebrity endorsement.
"We need to have a well-tuned brand voice. We spend a lot of time at the Yorkshire Tea headquarters in Harrogate – the canteen is a real treasure trove of authentic characters and that simple Yorkshire storytelling – always with a wink."
– Nick Bird, Creative Director at Lucky Generals.
The campaign won praise from critics for its fidelity to the brand's character, its local colour and its ability to build a narrative that is both entertaining and consistent with a long-standing communication platform. It is a rare example of an ad in which every element – from the choice of star to the final shot – stemmed from a deep understanding of the brand's own identity.
4.
Zoopla – "Win at moving with Zoopla": a new chapter in the battle for the property market
The property portal Zoopla decided in 2025 to completely remodel its television messaging.
The Win at moving with Zoopla campaign, created by the agency Lucky Generals (the same one that works with Yorkshire Tea), focused on capturing the triumph associated with a successful move – the moment of winning in one of life's most stressful decisions.
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The campaign stood out for its dynamic editing, clear value message and a clear departure from the well-worn templates of property service ads, which usually focus solely on the aesthetics of homes or listing statistics. According to Campaign Live, it was among the campaigns that set the standards for creativity in 2025.
The market context is important here: the British property market went through a period of turbulence in 2025 – interest rates rose, mortgage lending conditions changed, and the very decision to buy or rent a home became increasingly complex. Zoopla accurately identified the emotional core of that decision and, instead of selling listings, sold a sense of control and winning.
This approach fits into the broader trend of emotionally-driven advertising, which dominated the year's best television campaigns.
5. Xero – "Healthy Business": small business, big awards
The final spot in the ranking goes to a campaign that turned thinking about B2B advertising on British television upside down.
Xero – a provider of accounting software for small businesses – together with the media agency December19 delivered a campaign that in July 2025 won the Grand Prix and the Best Ongoing Use of TV award at the prestigious Thinkbox TV Planning Awards 2025.
The story is all the more impressive because back in 2021, Xero held a distant third place in the UK accounting software market, behind QuickBooks and Sage. Competitors were spending six times more on advertising. December19 based its entire strategy on a key finding: LinkedIn research shows that only 5% of companies are actively looking for new accounting software at any given moment. The real opportunity lay in building long-term associations among the other 95%.
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The Healthy Business campaign broke the categorical templates of B2B advertising – instead of dry feature comparisons, the brand opted for humour and a human approach. Television became the leading channel for long-term awareness building, complemented by radio and digital. The results?
Market share rose by 85%, spontaneous brand awareness jumped by 194%, and the goal of reaching one million subscribers was achieved seven months ahead of plan.
"Our work with Xero proved something we always believed: effective media planning starts with understanding people, not demographics." – December19, after winning the Grand Prix at the Thinkbox TV Planning Awards 2025.
The Xero campaign is the best proof that television can be a transformational tool even for B2B brands – provided that media planning is as ambitious as the creative itself.
What do the five best campaigns of the year have in common?
Analysing the ranking, a few clear trends stand out that shaped the best television advertising in the UK in 2025.
First, emotion as the foundation of the message – both John Lewis's nostalgic story and KFC's dramatic anthropomorphisation of gravy build strong emotional engagement that social media and display simply cannot replace.
Second, cultural authenticity – the Yorkshire Tea and KFC campaigns are deeply rooted in British identity: humour, regional rivalry, a love of tea and absurdity. Third, creative courage – all five campaigns reject the safe, generic approach in favour of a clear point of view.
It is also worth noting that the agency Lucky Generals is behind two campaigns on the list (Yorkshire Tea and Zoopla), confirming its position as one of the most creative creative houses in London. Meanwhile, the triumph of December19 and Xero shows that awards for television effectiveness increasingly go not to big budgets, but to precise strategies.
Television versus digital: a false dichotomy
The year 2025 brought further evidence that the debate of "TV versus digital" is fundamentally flawed. The best campaigns of the year worked across multiple channels: the John Lewis ad debuted exclusively in a mobile app, the KFC film instantly went viral on TikTok, and the Yorkshire Tea spot appeared for the first time on Netflix and Amazon Prime. Linear television served as the cultural anchor – the moment of first contact that gave the campaign reach and credibility.
Data from the IAB UK Digital Adspend Report for 2025 shows that digital video spending rose by 20% year on year to £9.3 billion, with the TV+ format (covering broadcasters, streamers and digital platforms) accounting for 34% of all video spending. This means one thing: the boundary between "traditional television" and digital is blurring, and brands that understand this are building campaigns that work across all screens at once.
