The UPS Store’s 'A Gift for Mom' Ad Outruns Its Own Delivery Time
The UPS Store’s recent holiday ad, “Holidays: A Gift for Mom” (:60), successfully broke through the holiday advertising noise with an emotionally rich story for the season. According to iSpot, here are the key insights from viewer response on the creative effectiveness of the spot:
- Emotional Connection Was Key: The ad's message around the universal struggle and heartfelt effort of choosing the perfect gift drove a strong Heartfelt emotional signal, rating as the Single Best Thing for nearly a quarter of all viewers. This emphasis on a personal, human story aligns with a proven creative strategy.
- Length Challenged Engagement: While the cinematic quality worked in a short film context, the one-minute runtime proved problematic in an advertising environment. The ad saw engagement fade halfway through, resulting in below-norm Attention and Likeability scores, placing the creative at high risk of ad skipping and losing the full message.
- Branding and Clarity Opportunity: Viewers struggled to identify the brand and the ad's core premise, with low Information and Change scores. Many were initially confused, mistaking the creative for an ad about AI or online shopping frustration until the final reveal. This delay in brand attribution limited the ad’s overall persuasive potential.
- Shorter Format Proved More Persuasive: An existing :30 spot for the holiday season, “Every Way We Holiday,” successfully delivered the brand's core message of Convenience and Value and achieved higher consumer intent (55% Positive Purchase Intent vs. 49% for the :60).
For media placements outside of the cinema, optimizing the length and ensuring earlier, clearer branding could maximize the considerable emotional power this spot generates, demonstrating how connecting creative effectiveness with unified cross-screen measurement drives better business outcomes.
