Key Insights:

  • HBO Max tops the list, climbing 11.0 percentage points in Ad Awareness, driven by its “Tights, Lights and Holiday Nights” TV spot and festive in-app “Always the Season” content hub.
  • The Salvation Army gained 8.5 percentage points, boosted by its “Hope for the Holidays” and “Joy to the World” donation campaigns and traditional Red Kettle fundraising.
  • Target increased 8.1 percentage points, thanks to its “Step Into the Holidays” campaign featuring Kris K. and the Get-Ready Yeti, plus extended Black Friday and weekly holiday deals.

December’s top advertisers in the US are HBO Max, Salvation Army and Target, each showing significant increases in Ad Awareness as tracked by YouGov BrandIndex. Ad Awareness measures the percentage of consumers who have seen an advertisement for a brand in the past two weeks.

Explore YouGov BrandIndex

HBO Max leads December’s Ad Awareness growth in the US, rising from 9.0% on November 26 to 20.0% on December 24, a gain of 11 percentage points. The lift aligns with a string of high-impact holiday activations, including the TV commercial "Tights, Lights and Holiday Nights", which paired holiday classics like Elf and A Christmas Story with DC superhero titles to reach family audiences. Digitally, HBO Max launched its "Always the Season" in-app hub in early December, featuring curated content like Best of 2025 and holiday artwork for popular titles such as The White Lotus and The Pitt.

The Salvation Army follows with an 8.5 percentage point increase, growing from 11.0% to 19.5% over the same period. This rise aligns with its annual holiday giving and fundraising efforts, including the Hope for the Holidays and Joy to the World campaigns that encourage seasonal donations and support for families in need. The organization’s traditional programs, such as Angel Tree and Red Kettle fundraising, invite donors to adopt tags for children and seniors and to volunteer at red kettle locations nationwide.

Target rounds out the top three with an 8.1 percentage point increase in Ad Awareness, rising from 27.9% on November 26 to 36.0% on December 25. The gain aligns with its 2025 “Step Into the Holidays” campaign, which brought festive in-store and digital experiences, featured seasonal characters like the Get‑Ready Yeti and the return of Kris K. from Target, and promoted extended Black Friday and weekly deals to drive traffic and boost visibility.

Methodology: YouGov BrandIndex collects data on thousands of brands every day. Ad Awareness is based on asking: “Which of the following consumer brands have you seen an advertisement for in the past two weeks?” The data reflects a four-week moving average covering the period from November 26 to December 25, 2025, among US adults aged 18+. The change is calculated as the difference between the lowest and highest scores within that window. Learn more about BrandIndex.

image credit: gettyimages

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