Fresh data from YouGov has revealed Kmart and Woolworths are leading the charge in consumer awareness for their Christmas advertising among Australian department stores and supermarkets.

The data, collected from 14-27 November, shows Woolworths with the highest Ad Awareness score at 61.1%, followed by Coles at 56.8%, Aldi at 46.1%, and IGA at 24.2%. Ad awareness score refers to the percentage of consumers who recall seeing the companies' ads in the past two weeks.

YouGov attributed the growth to Woolworths' Christmas campaign, 'Celebrate the Little Things That Make Christmas Special', which launched in early November, seems to have resonated with consumers according to YouGov.

Kmart, on the other hand, has been promoting its Christmas offerings across its website and social media channels since October and launched its 36th Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal in mid-November. This strategy has paid off, with Kmart topping supermarket Ad Awareness with a score of 43.8%, ahead of BIG W (38.6%), Target (24.8%), Myer (17.8%), and Kogan (10.1%).

In terms of Word of Mouth (WOM) Exposure, Woolworths took the lead with 39.4%, followed by Coles (34.7%), Aldi (30.9%), and IGA (13.2%). However, Aldi managed to secure the most positive awareness with its 'Go Big on the Little Things' Christmas campaign, receiving a Buzz score of 31.6 for creative that encouraged consumers to build a festive feast that didn’t just hero seasonal centrepieces, but also side dishes.

Kmart, meanwhile, received the highest Buzz score among department stores (26.4) and the highest WOM Exposure (33.6%). Buzz score calculates the difference between positive and negative buzz about brands.