The research points to it achieving the best blend of relevance, emotion and novelty – the three measures that Kantar TNS judges to best ensure the brand is noticed and remembered by consumers for a long time.

The ‘Love Mrs Claus’ advert, created by RKCR/Y&R, generated significantly higher motivation and engagement among consumers than last year’s The Art of Christmas ( 70% vs 51%), surpassing efforts of competitors including Sainsbury’s and Tesco.

Only John Lewis logged higher levels of consumer engagement, although the improvement of ‘Buster the Boxer’ registered just 13% higher than 2016’s ‘Man on the Moon’, and on a close par with 2014’s ‘Monty the Penguin’.

John Lewis scored highly on novelty and Aldi’s Kevin the Carrot advert also won points for its unusual story-line.

But M&S’s ‘Love Mrs Claus’ excelled at emotion with the story of a little boy who wants his sister to have the perfect present. Adverts that vividly remind people of things they care personally about have a greater impact.

In terms of relevance, Tesco’s ‘Bring it On’ campaign came out on top for its adverts depicting shopping and Christmas parties.

Helen Rowe, Kantar TNS’s head of brand & communications research, said: “With an emotional story and novel approach to the traditional Christmas story, M&S has come out strongly in this year’s battle of the adverts. With the weight of expectation around these ads, brands need to ensure that they are striking the perfect balance to unlock a consumer desire to buy.”

“In a crowded space, the temptation can be to prioritise novelty to stand out, which John Lewis achieved this year with Boxer the Buster. But we found this to be at the expense of relevance or emotional connection, where other adverts shone through.”