AdMiration’s best ads of 2024

In honor of concluding our first year of the AdMiration series, we wanted to call out and celebrate the top five ads we’ve seen this year from the US and UK.

In AdMiration, we always show the sales impact and brand impact of the ad, as ads can have different objectives and work in different ways — either focusing more on the shorter term sales uplift or looking to strengthen brand equity, supporting sales in the longer term. 

To create our list of the top five ads, we combined the sales and brand impact scores of each ad we researched in this newsletter this year. That means that each of the ads on our list are ads that do a great job of driving sales and brand impact. 

So without further ado, let’s get into the rankings!

1.  Guinness’ “Dancing Can”

While we didn’t feature this ad separately as an official AdMiration this year, we did run the data through our platform and were so impressed by how well it performed that we simply had to include it in the rankings! 

The ad features Guiness’ Nitrosurge device atop a joyous dancing can, highlighting how it allows consumers to enjoy a perfect pour at home.

Created by AMV BBDO, the ad is set to the sound of Perez Prado’s “Guaglione” in a nod to Guinness’ iconic 1994 Dancing Man campaign. The ad scored a perfect 100 for Sales Impact and a score of 99 for Brand impact — truly an astounding feat.

This one is worth celebrating as it’s a great reminder of the power of establishing a long running campaign, grounded in a product truth and executed in a highly engaging way.

If you want to learn more, take a look at the full report on our platform.

2. KitKat’s “Break Better”

Another spin off of a long running campaign, KitKat’s “Break Better” built upon their classic “Have a Break” tagline, addressing the demanding world we live in and the struggle we all face to take a break and fully switch off in this ad spot. 

Scoring a 97 in Sales Impact and a 96 in Brand Impact, the ad is a real hit, breaking category norms with a humorous take that addresses what we all deserve: a good break.  

And like Guinness, it's a great example of a long running campaign executed for today’s world. In this case, they really took the time to understand what the ‘need for a break’ looks and feels like in 2024. This provided the foundation for a highly resonant execution that was both fresh and consistent.

3. Corona Cero’s “For Every Golden Moment”

Corona’s ad is a rare gem — landing in the top five ads from both the US and the UK this year. This is extremely impressive as it's rare to create an ad that resonates strongly across cultures. On top of that, for the UK alone the ad scored a 98 in Sales Impact and a 92 in Brand Impact.

Featuring a montage of notorious “gold medal moments” from the latest Tokyo and Rio Olympics morphing into moments of people enjoying nature or connecting with friends, the ad was a perfect way to share the news of becoming the first global beer sponsor for the Olympic & Paralympic games. 

The key learning here is how to create (or even have the chance!) of creating an ad that travels. Corona manages it by tapping into elements shared across culture. The foundation is the Olympics, a global platform, and values of friendship, fun and coming together with beaches, sun and beauty. In addition, the ad also relies on the category being seen and used in a way that can work for both markets.

4. Malibu’s “Don’t Drink and Dive”

Malibu’s "Don't Drink and Dive” features Tom Daley and the hit song “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)” by Rupert Humes, initially setting a carefree tone, when it suddenly becomes clear that the ad is a PSA in collaboration with Royal Life Saving Society (from the message on his swim bottoms to raise awareness of the danger involved when drinking near water given the high risk of drowning).  

The ad scored an impressive 98 in Sales Impact and 92 in Brand impact. Another strong example of building on a cultural moment, the ad was particularly successful using Tom Daley for what he’s famous for, on the back of the Olympics, which also supported their messaging.

5. Sainsbury’s “BIG Christmas”

Last but certainly not least on our list of top UK AdMiration ads, Sainsbury’s “BIG Christmas” ad taps into the magic of Christmas with its nostalgic spot featuring the BFG. 

With a voice over by Stephen Fry, soundtrack by renowned composer Alex Baranowski (recorded at Abbey Road with a 54-piece orchestra!) and inspired by Roald Dahl’s timeless story, the new Christmas ad features a real-life Sainsbury’s colleague (‘Sophie’) alongside the lovable character BFG, who embark on a journey that showcases the delicious Taste the Difference and Sainsbury’s food offerings. 

It’s no surprise it scores in the top 10% on both Sales (Sales Impact: 92) and equity (Brand Impact: 90) potential compared to all UK ads. 

1. The North Face’s “We Play Different”

First on our list of top AdMiration ads in the US is The North Face’s “We Play Different.” 

This ad serves as a new anthem for the brand, shot on unbelievable mountaintops, glaciers and trails around the world, with a motivating narration that encourages their consumers to defy the odds to the sound of Chaka Khan’s “Like Sugar.” 

The ad achieves peak heights with outstanding potential Sales (100) and Brand (100) Impact Scores in the top 1% of all US ads! 

A truly distinctive and visually powerful ad that implicitly demonstrates the quality and function of the clothing and equipment.

2. Corona Ceros’ “For Every Golden Moment”

Like we mentioned above, Corona Cero’s “For Every Golden Moment” ad was a top performer in both the US and the UK!  

The ad scores in the top 1% of all ads in potential to drive short-term sales (Sales Impact: 100) and in the top 10% in potential to drive brand equity and long-term sales (Brand Impact: 100). Showcasing the brand ethos of helping celebrate moments of joy, the ad does an excellent job of enticing viewers to purchase the brand.

3. Tide’s “Stains Happen to the Best of Us”

Third on our list of US ads, Tide’s “Stains Happen to the Best of Us” also taps into the cultural moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. 

The ad features several younger people and Olympic celebrities from the likes of Noah Lyles and Carl Lewis, each comparing themselves to one another regarding their ability to avoid spills and stains — resulting in Tide’s tagline: Stains happen to the best of us.

The ad scores in the top 5% of all US ads in potential to drive short-term sales (Sales Impact: 95) and in potential to drive brand equity and long-term sales (Brand Impact: 97). 

This is a great example of using celebrities at a moment where they resonate and using them to connect to the brand’s proposition, not just using them to grab attention. 

4. Mike’s Hard Lemonade’s “Hard Days: Delivery”

Mike’s Hard Lemonade’s “Hard Days Delivery" is a great example of how to land humor in an ad.  

This ad is part of a campaign that marks their 25th anniversary, which does a fantastic job at capturing the audience's attention as well as establishing a strong, humorous link between hard days and Mike’s Hard Lemonade. 

In a tale following a delivery man’s tumultuous day, the ad scores in the top 1% of all US ads in potential to drive short-term sales (Sales Impact: 99) and in the top 5% in potential to drive brand equity and long-term sales (Brand Impact: 95). 

5. Dove’s “The Code”

Last on our list is another great ad that taps into a long running campaign: Dove’s “The Code.”

Recognizing the 20th anniversary of their Campaign for Real Beauty, Dove launched “The Code: A Dove Film” as part of a new campaign to show how they are still championing real beauty, with a commitment to never use AI to create or distort women’s images.

The powerful ad shares how “By 2025, Artificial Intelligence is predicted to generate 90% of online content. All images generated for this film are actual results from an AI tool…For 20 years, Dove has been committed to Real Beauty. Today, this is how AI generates the images when we add ‘Dove. What kind of beauty do we want AI to learn?” After a montage of “perfect” AI-women is shown, another montage of real women is shown when “Dove” is added.  

The ad scores in the top 5% of all US ads in potential to drive immediate sales (Sales Impact: 98) and in potential to build brand equity and generate long-term sales (Brand Impact: 95). 

Like the KitKat ad in the UK, it’s a great example of a long running campaign freshened up to reflect the challenges of today. Originally, the campaign highlighted how social media was an enemy to real beauty, today the enemy targeted in the ad is AI. 

While the top ads come from various categories, they mostly sit under the umbrella of consumer packaged goods (except Sainsbury’s, who was still selling their food!). Some other categories struggle to be quite as successful with consumers, but we wanted to give some honorable mentions to ads in other categories which truly outperformed the competition.

For financial services, we saw great results for PayPal in the US and Monzo for taking a highly distinctive approach in the UK .

For online betting, we saw Paddy Power (with its usual wonderful humor) come alive in an ad that tapped into the mood of the nation ready for Euro 2024 — a key gambling moment!

For telco, we saw a highly engaging ad for Mint Mobile that served as a great lesson in brand consistency and distinctive brand assets — from their staple mint green backdrop to using Ryan Reynolds to deliver a simple and clear message, which consumers loved.

And last but not least, an honorable mention goes to Nike’s “Am I A Bad Person?” which has come back to its roots and re-established the voice of the athlete in a challenging way. While this ad was polarizing, it worked beautifully for the athletic part of their target audience and challenged the audience in a memorable and distinctive way.

That’s a wrap for this year’s AdMiration series! From tapping into cultural moments, building upon long-standing campaigns and including hit songs, these ads all leaned into key elements and moments to help them stand out from the crowd. 

What did you think? And which ad was your favorite? Let us know by interacting with our coverage of the ad on LinkedIn.

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