The best ads of 2024 (so far)

Between two huge soccer tournaments, a bonkers election season and the Olympics, it’s been a busier summer than usual. But with August upon us, we’re taking a moment to look back at the year to date in creativity by revisiting some of our favorite ads so far. There’s lots of variety here, from Super Bowl spots to short films, from clever out-of-home ads to viral social media plays. Geographically, the U.S. has plenty of representation, and we also highlight campaigns from the likes of Australia, China, Norway, Spain and the U.K. This half-year snapshot—alphabetical by campaign title—is a precursor to our annual Ads of the Year ranking, coming in December. See all of the 2024 Small Agency award winners here 100 Years of Meisterstück Client: Montblanc Director: Wes Anderson Wes Anderson doesn’t shoot ads often, but they’re memorable when he does. His three-minute Montblanc film is as quirky, entertaining and painstakingly designed as all of his work. He even designed a pen for the brand, to boot. Assume That I Can Client: CoorDown Agency: Small Addressing the stereotypes and biases that affect the lives of people with Down syndrome, “Assume That I Can” called for a shift in mindset that could end such prejudice. This absolute gem of a film, directed by Rich Lee, married joy and purpose like few projects we’ve seen. Better on a Better Mobile Network Client: Telstra Agency: Bear Meets Eagle on Fire Australian telco Telstra made more than two dozen 15-second spots for this campaign, featuring stop-motion animals talking up how great the Telstra network is in the far-flung Australian locales where they reside. The craft is great, the humor wonderfully deadpan. Once you start watching these ads, you really can’t stop. Chance Encounter Client: Progressive Agency: Arnold Worldwide Progressive returned for another year of “Dr. Rick,” beginning with this January spot co-starring LL Cool J. The homeowners in the campaign may be getting old—and turning into their parents as well—but the comic approach isn’t. Every new spot is a nice addition. Considering What? Client: Channel 4 Agency: 4creative After getting some criticism for its “Superhumans” films for prior Paralympic Games, Channel 4 switched up its approach. “Considering What?” portrayed Paralympic athletes as eminently human—struggling against gravity, friction and time, not their disabilities—in a stunning film directed by Steve Rogers. The Dehydrator Client: Liquid Death Agency: In-house Liquid Death unleashes buzzy work seemingly every other week. But “The Dehydrator” stood out for being ridiculously over the top—and thus, perfectly on brand. The wild sweepstakes, which is ongoing, offers the grand prize of an Aero L-39C Albatros fighter jet. It’s also a not-so-subtle reference to Pepsi, which offered to give away a jet in the ’90s—but then failed to do so. DoorDash All the Ads Client: DoorDash Agency: Wieden+Kennedy Portland One of Super Bowl 2024’s most ambitious projects, this campaign gave away products and services from all the other advertisers on the game to one lucky winner. The work won the coveted Titanium Grand Prix at Cannes Lions in June. Every Coca-Cola Is Welcome Client: Coca-Cola Agency: VML Coca-Cola did a slew of interesting out-of-home campaigns in the first half of 2024. This was one of our favorites—billboards that sourced their imagery from unofficial, handmade Coke signs around the world. Flock Client: Apple Agency: TBWA\Media Arts Lab Lots of Apple work could have made this list—the “Shot on iPhone” films from China, Japan and Mexico, in particular, were all pretty special. But we’re choosing “Flock,” directed by Ivan Zacharias, for its creepy and compelling craft, showing surveillance cameras as evil birds snooping your browsing data. (Birds as villains has been an Apple theme this year—see the “Swoop” spot as well.) The Generation Gap Client: Meat and Livestock Australia Agency: The Monkeys Meat & Livestock Australia is known for its blockbuster commercials for Australian lamb, and the 2024 version was an instant classic—a three-minute showdown between generations who can’t agree on much of anything. The battle is mostly between boomers and Gen Z, though millennials elbow their way in, too—and the repeated snubbing of Gen X throughout never gets old. Grey Days Client: New Balance Agency: American Haiku New agency American Haiku came out of the gate in memorable fashion with this effortlessly cool seven-minute film telling seven stories of New Balance’s impact on subcultures throughout its history. One of the year’s most artfully shot campaigns, it was led by creative directors Thom Glover and Daniel Wolfe, director Elliott Power and cinematographer Norm Li. Happy Groundhog Lay’s Client: Lay’s Agencies: Maximum Effort and Kimmelot Stephen Tobolowsky, who played Ned Ryerson in “Groundhog Day,” starred in this meta comedy series as a Lay’s-buying customer who’s stuck in a kind of time loop in a grocery store. High concept yet fun and accessible, the spots ran a total of 75 times on TV on Groundhog Day. Is It Even a City? Client: Visit Oslo Agency: NewsLab AS This campaign brilliantly turned tourism advertising upside down, promoting Oslo, Norway, by highlighting a guy who grew up there and hates the place. A perfect example of an unconventional and risky approach that paid off. Just Add Milk Clients: Seed x Swehl Agency: In-house Days after Clear Channel removed a provocative Times Square ad from breastfeeding startup Swehl, probiotics brand Seed came to the rescue—donating its own billboard space, controlled by Lightyear Media, to keep the ad running. The move, in keeping with Seed’s innovative use of its Times Square ad inventory, was applauded by those who saw Clear Channel’s move as censorship. Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards Enter today as we honor the best in healthcare marketing Learn more here The Last Barf Bag Client: Dramamine Agency: FCB Chicago Branded documentaries aren’t easy to pull off, but this was a delightful exception. FCB’s film, exploring the subculture of air sickness bag collectors, is quirky and compelling, with a fun brand tie-in that never feels belabored. A fine example of long-form content done right. Meet Marina Prieto Client: JCDecaux Agency: David Madrid JCDecaux, the outdoor advertising company, proved the efficacy of the medium through this sweet, funny and viral campaign, which reprinted an unknown 100-year-old grandmother’s social media posts on posters around Madrid. Michael CeraVe Client: CeraVe Agency: Ogilvy PR CeraVe crafted the stickiest social campaign of the Super Bowl with the goofy premise (sourced from Reddit) that Michael Cera had formulated the brand’s skincare products. The digital-first campaign leaned into paparazzi-style teasers before culminating in a fun and goofy spot parodying fragrance campaigns during the Super Bowl itself. Migration Clients: YouTube TV x NFL Sunday Ticket Agency: In-house Ravens, Seahawks and Eagles embark on their annual migration in YouTube TV’s hilarous spoof of nature shows, promoting NFL Sunday Ticket. Directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr., the spot aired in the ad slot right before kickoff of the Super Bowl. More Popular Than Client: Tubi Agency: Mischief @ No Fixed Address Tubi has 75 million monthly viewers, which compares favorably to other populations—like babies—in the streamer’s absurd ads provoking a little FOMO in non-Tubi watchers. Director Andreas Nilsson brought his trademark quirky casting to bear in framing the Tubi data in amusing ways. Museum Worthy Client: AICP Agency: BBDO Everyone loves a good skewering of the advertising business. The AICP obliged with “Museum Worthy,” a pair of short films directed by Brian Billow in which Vincent Van Gogh and Frida Kahlo are subjected to the industry’s feedback process—including notes on their paintings from dumb clients. Never Just a Period Client: Bodyform Agency: AMV BBDO AMV BBDO and director Lucy Forbes delivered Bodyform’s latest bit of brilliance, released last week—an unforgettable framing of the confusion, shame, frustration and pain that women and girls feel about their bodies, due to inadequate discussion and education about feminine health. Next to Stok’d Client: Stok’d Agency: Angry Butterfly The draconian restrictions around cannabis advertising often force companies to get creative with their messaging. Few cannabis campaigns have been as creative as this one, which promoted Stok’d retail locations by mostly advertising the small businesses next door. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs Robbery Client: Lynx Agency: LOLA MullenLowe LOLA MullenLowe’s pair of spots for Lynx (sold as Axe in the U.S.) found a fresh way into the Unilever fragrance brand’s longtime positioning—that the product makes the user impossibly attractive. The “Robbery” spot, in particular, shines with its quirky plot, unhinged performances and amusingly uncomfortable moments. This Was Never a Long Shot Client: Nike Agency: Wieden+Kennedy Portland Nike made several eye-catching campaigns with Caitlin Clark this year, but this Iowa City installation tops the list. One building-side ad showed Clark shooting a jump shot. A companion ad across the street—put up after the first one—showed a backboard and net, with the line, “This was never a long shot.” Great, playful use of OOH. WcDonald’s Client: McDonald’s Agency: Wieden+Kennedy New York Subculture marketing reached its apex with “WcDonald’s,” a fun and painstakingly designed campaign for anime fans featuring a special sauce, manga-inspired packaging and episodic video shorts. Windows Client: British Airways Agency: Uncommon Simplicity is the name of the game in out-of-home, and Uncommon’s latest BA campaign was as compellingly reductive as it gets, featuring passengers staring down in wonder from the windows of BA jets. Yes! Client: Reese’s Agency: Erich & Kallman A slice of inspired lunacy from our 2024 Small Agency of the Year, this Super Bowl spot was chaotic and bizarre yet completely brand centric. On a telecast overstuffed with celebs, it really broke through. See America's Hottest Brands 20 brands that are trending in 2024 Click here

The best ads of 2024 (so far)

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