Just in time for the 35th anniversary of Home Alone, a familiar face is back for the holidays—but this time, he’s tackling a much more grown-up problem than warding off burglars.
Macaulay Culkin reprises his iconic role as Kevin McCallister in the new holiday campaign for Home Instead, the in-home senior care service. Developed by FCB Chicago and directed by Jody Hill, the spot blends holiday nostalgia with a relatable family challenge. “Home But Not Alone” :60 features an older, overprotective Kevin McCallister taking his DIY defense skills to a new level—wrapping his mother’s furniture in plastic. The humor quickly gives way to a realization: even the most resourceful kids need reliable backup when caring for family.
Here’s what iSpot’s Creative Assessment platform revealed on actual viewer response to the :60 spot.
The Details:
- The :60 “Home But Not Alone” was a strong creative performer, driven by its ability to spark nostalgia and spike heartfelt feelings:
- The ad excelled in breaking through, ranking in the 91st percentile in both Attention and Likeability.
- Viewers identified the characters (26% vs. 8% norm) as the Single Best Thing about the ad by a wide, and above-norm, margin which drove the breakthrough achieved. Although not necessarily relevant to all viewers at the time of viewing, the hero “Home But Not Alone” achieved at- to above-norm resonance across age/gender (vs other health & family ads over the past year). Moreover, viewers 36-49 were particularly high on the spot.
- While positive, the ad’s overall perception of Information and Relevance was at norm, which likely tempered consideration to some degree. While this could be acceptable given that every viewer may not have the need for Home Instead at the time of viewing, brand recall (unaided) was not firmly cemented. As such, awareness of the brand was at least a partial lost opportunity.
- Many non-matches of the brand name included mentions of “home” with other concepts attached (home something, home stead, home again, home good, home services, etc.). Quick edits to layer in an opening branding card, corner logos and/or audio branding could go a long way in boosting this critical objective.
- The ad excelled in breaking through, ranking in the 91st percentile in both Attention and Likeability.
- Second-by-second trace results show a loss of engagement among viewers 21-35 for both the hero :60 and the :15 “Errands,” likely as a result of the unidentified brand throughout the ads:
- Sentiment on the :60 “Home But Not Alone” reveal that the Macaulay Culkin casting and Home Alone references were the ad’s strongest asset, with viewers using terms like “nostalgic,” “throwback,” “childhood memories,” and “iconic” in their comments on the ad.
- Those who understood the message found it touching and relevant, and it resonated strongly with viewers who have aging parents. The sensitive approach to a difficult topic was appreciated and the balance with humor went over well. Visual pranks kept many engaged.
- However, this strength was wasted a bit in that significant confusion about what was being advertised was seen. Many didn’t understand it was for in-home senior care until the very end, with assumptions including moving companies, home security, real estate, home improvement, or even a movie made. Although surprise brand reveals can be impactful, for lower awareness brands and or those with limited audiences, this approach can be risky. Moreover, comments that the logo/brand name appeared too late or was too small were also seen and even after viewing, some viewers didn’t understand what Home Instead does. 35% of all viewers of the :60 described themselves as being previously unfamiliar with the brand while 44% were considerers with no prior experience.
- Of course, the :60 length was an issue for some as well, who lost interest before the message (and brand) was revealed, with pacing issues noted.
- Sentiment on the :60 “Home But Not Alone” reveal that the Macaulay Culkin casting and Home Alone references were the ad’s strongest asset, with viewers using terms like “nostalgic,” “throwback,” “childhood memories,” and “iconic” in their comments on the ad.
Sample comments on “Home But Not Alone” :60
“This immediately made me think of Home Alone and I love the various references that paid homage to the original movie. I also particularly loved the escape drawing at the beginning of the advertisement. It was very clever and really caught my attention. However, the ad did seem to drag on, at times.”
Male 36-49
“Loved the Home Alone reference and MC. It was different and got my attention at the end. We are all getting to that age where our parents are not as young as they used to be and some are widowed now and it’s a relevant service.”
Female 50+
“This ad was so cool. I love the Home Alone movies, so having him come back and do a little ad like this was great, especially throwing in the granddaughter to the old man.”
Female 36-49
“Ad started off good, but then it took too long to get the message across on what is being sold. Also, I couldn’t read the company name because it was too small on the screen.”
Female 36-49
“This brings me so much nostalgia because of Home Alone. I couldn’t stop smiling and it made me laugh at the end of the ad. This ad is perfect for the holiday season.”
Male 21-35
“I wish that the logo for the ad was mentioned at the beginning of the ad, not at the end. Initially, I thought it was for some type of moving company or product manufacturer because of the bubble wrap. Therefore, I don’t think I got the full impression of the ad.”
Female 50+
“This advertiser wants you to know that Home Instead is the home care company to help your aging parents.”
Male 50+
“I thought it was going to be for a store or something, but then I got confused. Then, it was taking too long and the end was a let down. I still don’t really understand.”
Female 21-35
“Clever to time in-home care with the main character from Home Alone. Got me engaged to see what it was about. The music and holiday theme make it sweet.”
Female 50+
- The hero spot was a far superior performer over the :15 “Errands,” which trailed norms on every creative assessment metric:
- However, the :60 was highly competitive with A Place for Mom “Danny’s Mom Brag” and Visiting Angels “Special Tree,” all of which employed message and/or character-driven narratives.
- “A Place for Mom” was the clear leader in persuasion, converting its creative success into above-norm consideration (50%), while “Visiting Angels” (43%) performed at norm and “Errands” trailed significantly. As such, the opportunity to remove budget from the :15 could be considered.
- However, the :60 was highly competitive with A Place for Mom “Danny’s Mom Brag” and Visiting Angels “Special Tree,” all of which employed message and/or character-driven narratives.
- iSpot Media Measurement reports a strong favoring of the :30 “Home But Not Alone” in national linear Impression delivery since launch (through 11/10/25):
- However, “Errands” was favored over the hero spot, with viewer response and particularly intent, suggesting more budget be shifted to the :60 to maximize outcomes.
- Streaming Impressions appropriately placed lower emphasis on the “Errands” creative.
- However, “Errands” was favored over the hero spot, with viewer response and particularly intent, suggesting more budget be shifted to the :60 to maximize outcomes.
- The hero “Home But Not Alone” saw an opposite income skew vs competitive ads reviewed, resonating most successfully with viewers earning $75K or above in annual income:
- This points to targeting opportunities, if desired.
Advertisers must pinpoint the creative that maximizes business outcomes and ensure in-market execution supports the highest-performing ads
Schedule a demo to find out how your brand can partner with iSpot to quickly solve both challenges simultaneously, delivering high-performing creative while boosting the effectiveness of planning and in-market execution to achieve—and outperform—campaign objectives.
Creative Agency: FCB Chicago