Marketing Campaigns We Loved in November 2025

From festive storytelling to clever brand collaborations, November delivered some seriously strong marketing campaigns. Here are the campaigns that stood out this month and why they worked so well.

1. McDonald’s x The Grinch

McDonald’s kicked off the festive season with a brilliantly playful Grinch-themed campaign.

What made it shine?

• Instant nostalgia: The Grinch is a universal Christmas classic, tapping straight into childhood memories.

• Perfect brand alignment: McDonald’s light-hearted humour blends perfectly with the Grinch’s mischievous energy.

• Snackable content: Bite-sized social clips and outdoor creatives made the campaign easy to share.

The result? A feel-good festive moment that put McDonald’s at the heart of Christmas fun.

2. Disney’s Doodle Character Generator

Disney kicked off the Christmas season with a beautifully crafted short film, “Best Christmas Ever,” directed by Academy Award-winner Taika Waititi and featuring John Goodman as the voice of Doodle.

Released on Disney+ and across digital platforms, it leads Disney’s ‘Make Someone’s Holiday Magic’ campaign — a celebration of imagination, childhood wonder and meaningful connection.

The story follows a young girl whose doodle magically comes to life after Santa mistakes her Christmas drawing for a real wish.

Why it worked:

• Emotional storytelling: Disney stayed true to its core strength — heart, imagination and connection.

• Strong festive positioning: A narrative centred on childhood wonder made it perfect for the holiday season.

• Shareability: Fans creating and sharing their own doodles turned the campaign into instant UGC.

• Cultural moment: A Times Square takeover ensured high visibility and global excitement.

A campaign that proves Disney still knows better than anyone how to tap into pure festive magic.

3. Apple @ Battersea Station

Apple transformed its Battersea headquarters into a festive installation where digital Christmas trees “came to life”.

Why it worked:

• Unexpected creativity: Apple didn’t rely on product shots — it created an emotional experience.

• Destination marketing: It encouraged people to visit, take photos, and share.

• Subtle brand flex: High production value that screams “Apple” without being salesy.

This was immersive brand storytelling done beautifully.

4. KFC x Stranger Things

KFC teamed up with Stranger Things for a limited-edition campaign that blended retro nostalgia with cult-favourite characters.

Why this campaign stood out:

• Perfect cultural timing: With the final season hype building, the collab hit at the right moment.

• Bold creativity: Think retro packaging, themed buckets, and menu tie-ins.

• Fandom fuel: Fans love merch — and KFC tapped straight into that energy.

Unexpected, fun, and instantly recognisable.

5. Ricola’s ‘Cough in Comfort’ Scarf Campaign

Ricola took a refreshingly simple approach with their “Cough in Comfort” winter campaign — oversized branded scarves offered to commuters battling the cold.

Why it worked:

• Everyday insight: Everyone hates coughing on a cold morning commute.

• High-visibility placement: Big scarves = big awareness.

• Great UGC potential: People immediately shared photos wearing them.

A perfect reminder that clever doesn’t have to mean complicated.

November’s campaigns had a clear theme: storytelling, creativity and UGC-first thinking.

Brands that leaned into nostalgia, interactivity and cultural moments won big — and we’re expecting December’s festive ads to turn things up another level.

Stay tuned for our Christmas campaign favourites next month!