With Christmas fast approaching, let’s look at this year’s festive ads from some of the UK’s major retailers. Some heart-warming, some playful, some product-led and all hoping to capture the emotions of the season. But do they reflect how people actually want to feel this Christmas? 

We set out to understand the emotional blueprint consumers are carrying with them into the festive period, using our Emotional Signature tool — a method that reveals instinctive, fast-thinking responses rather than surface-level opinions. Because emotional reactions, not rational ones, drive most festive decision-making. 

In today’s fast-paced and competitive business world, organisations focus heavily on customer feedback—and rightly so. But there’s another equally vital source of insight that’s too often overlooked: employee feedback. The voices of employees can be a company’s most powerful tool for growth, innovation, and long-term success.