Aldi has misplaced a dog, and its Christmas audience is being asked to help find him.
With McCann UK, the supermarket has released the first look at this year's Christmas advert, a 10-second teaser in which the family’s cauliflower pet has disappeared.
Kevin the Carrot and his daughter Chantenay are searching for him, and the clip ends before either finds an answer.
Last Christmas, Cauli Dog delivered the engagement ring when Kevin proposed to Katie.
This scene made him part of the family’s biggest news of the season.
His disappearance now gives the new advert an emotional hook, leaving viewers guessing about the fate of the dog.
"Cauli Dog stole the nation’s hearts last Christmas, so we know people will be desperate to find out where he’s got to," Julie Ashfield, CCO at Aldi UK, said.
Ashfield said Kevin and Chantenay will try to bring the pet home before the holiday arrives, while Aldi keeps the remainder of the plot private.
Now, it's up to fans to "keep their eyes peeled for clues" and tune in to find out what happens next.
And the retailer has reason to expect they will.
A 2022 Gold Effie entry for the character reported six-year value share growth of 54%, £618 million in incremental revenue and a 241% return on marketing investment, per System1.
It's a figure that gives Aldi a reason to keep Kevin in conversation before the full advert arrives.
Kevin and Chantenay Start Searching
The clip begins with Chantenay and Kevin the Carrot walking up a snowy hill.
She tells her father of her holiday wish for Cauli Dog to return safely once she notices the pet is missing.
Next, she and Kevin put up "LOST" posters to start the search, and the footage stops before it reveals where the dog went.
Kevin first appeared in 2016, and Aldi has used him ever since to carry its brand stories at Christmas.
In 2024, McCann Manchester made a 90-second spot in which Kevin and Katie break into Humbug Headquarters.
Here, they attempt to recover the stolen Christmas Spirit, complete with Mission Impossible-style lasers and a ski chase.
In 2025, the same agency closed a 10-year arc with a musical wedding special for Kevin and Katie.
Just like this year's efforts, last year's campaign also opened with a 10-second teaser, in which Cauli Dog waited outside Katie’s door with the engagement ring on his collar.
The launch came with a content series in which Kevin asked real couples for relationship advice, a social media competition, and an expanded ITV partnership.
Each of those spots borrowed from a different kind of film, including a heist, a romantic comedy and a stage musical.
With the genre tropes giving viewers a familiar way into each spot, a missing-pet mystery adds a detective plot to the list.
Kevin’s Track Record Sets the Bar for Cauli Dog
Aldi’s first Kevin the Carrot ad in 2016 lifted December sales by 15.1% and brought in one million new customers.
This result gave Aldi a reason to keep investing in the carrot.
To add to that, Aldi announced a record £1.65 billion Christmas trading period in January.
These results give agencies a worthy case for a long-running mascot, setting a high bar for a ten-second teaser that has not yet resolved its mystery.
The campaign offers three lessons for agencies working with recurring characters.
- Track the character across seasons. Agencies should report recognition and effectiveness scores year over year, as Kevin’s growth in the last decade shows what long-term tracking can prove.
- Don't limit yourself to one genre. Agencies should pick genres that show range, as Aldi’s heist, romantic comedy, and musical each proved that there are more stories to tell.
- Plan the teaser as its own asset. Agencies should give a short first look its own question and cliffhanger, as Aldi did by ending the clip before Cauli Dog’s whereabouts appear.
Overall, we believe Aldi has established a strong starting point, and it's up to the full advert to prove Kevin's still has it.
Our Take: Why Are Long-Running Mascots So Hard to Keep?
We think a mascot like Kevin is rare because it demands patience that few marketing teams are given.
A character needs years of client-agency synergy and story co-building to be fully accepted by the public.
Marketing leads change jobs, budgets get reviewed, and a shiny new idea is always on offer.
Aldi has kept the same carrot on the job since 2016 and has grown his household to include a wife, three children, and a dog.
We think that decade of steady storytelling is the hardest part of this campaign to copy, and one thing Aldi can claim as its own.
Explore these top creative agencies to find partners that can develop distinctive campaign strategies.
