Campaigns of the Year 2024

As we navigate the January blues, working off the Christmas feasts in packed-out gyms and trying not to slip over on the way there, we want to look back at the last year and pick out the best campaigns of 2024. So make a brew, put your feet up and enjoy!

Cadbury had the wonderfully simple idea of recreating their corner shop ad from a few years ago but set 200 years in the past. With the same actors reprising their roles, the ad is like for like in pretty much every single way. It was a nod to show that they’re still the same household favourite name as they were two centuries ago, and that there’s always been a glass and a half in everyone.

It was the crossover you didn’t think you needed but got anyway – Michael Cera and CeraVe Skincare (note to the Holdens team – why didn’t we think of this?!)

An angelic Michael Cera promotes the popular skincare moisturiser in satirically serene surroundings before it cuts to a boardroom where we realise Michael Cera is pitching to the actual CeraVe experts. None of whom are impressed with his presentation efforts.

In a year when it seemed that Michael Cera could do no wrong, CeraVe delivered a wonderfully simple campaign that worked on so many levels. Great job.

If you’re an avid reader of these blogs, you’ll know we’re big F1 fans. So when we spotted this ad from Uber last March, featuring Sauber driver and the sport’s resident meme lord, Valtteri Bottas, it just had to be featured. Bottas had a new lease of life after throwing off the shackles of life at Mercedes, growing a mullet and a moustache and getting up to all sorts of fun like releasing a nude calendar. In this hilarious ad for Uber Carshare, he played up to his famous ‘honorary Aussie’ title and paid tribute to his second home ahead of last season’s Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. Definitely a must-watch if you’re a fellow F1 fan.

Hinge found a brilliantly creative way to reaffirm its strapline that the dating app is “designed to be deleted”. Once a couple has deleted the app, the app icon (depicted as a cute furry cube called Hingie) is sent to heaven in what felt like a Katy Perry/Barbie wonderland.

As more lovers delete the app, more ‘Hingies’ are sent to the pearly gates. They are greeted by an overworked oracle played by actress and comedian Patti Harris as she celebrates their deletion. The practical effects and humour make this ad stand out as a personal favourite from April.

If you somehow managed to avoid the furore around this ad from Apple last May, then well done (and where the hell were you?!) Coinciding with the launch of the 13-inch iPad Pro, the ad depicted various artistic items, including musical instruments, arcade machines and paint cans, being crushed by a massive hydraulic press soundtracked by Sonny & Cher’s ‘All I Ever Need is You’.

The ad divided opinion online and within the industry, generating countless column inches and hot takes. The majority of critics claimed it promoted the rise of technology as an oppressive force against human-led creativity. We just thought it was a beautifully shot film that cleverly demonstrates a single compelling idea – “get all of this in the thinnest iPad ever”.

Before the heartache that was to follow from England’s devastating defeat to Spain in the Euros final, Adidas put the fire in the belly of thousands of England fans before the tournament kicked off with this incredible ad. Soundtracked by a stripped-back version of The Beatles’ ‘Hey Jude’ sung by Paul McCartney, and the chant that England fans conveniently use for superstar midfielder Jude Bellingham, the ad depicted different groups of fans in desperation and disappointment after another England loss at a major tournament, before ending with Bellingham changing our fortunes. Featuring some other famous faces such as David Beckham and Frank Lampard, the ad perfectly encapsulated the Euros fever.

The Word of the Year for 2024 – ‘Brat’. Inspired by Charli XCX’s album and already iconic neon green cover, Brat Summer was all about ditching the clean, butter-wouldn’t-melt aesthetic and embracing your feisty inner self. The album inspired countless brand campaigns after it dropped but the true marker of its influence was when it entered the world of politics in the run-up to the recent UK General Election. Vice President Kamala Harris and her team also embraced Brat and used it as the foundation for her presidential campaign. Sadly, it wasn’t enough to win the race.

Property website Rightmove released an autumn campaign delving into people’s unique requirements when moving house. The campaign featured a diverse range of home searches with a nod to some fictional characters and their habitats. They include references to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Sherlock Holmes and Rapunzel. We loved the simplicity of this campaign, giving you that “why has no one thought of this before?” feeling.

Who hasn’t experienced that feeling of roughly ripping off a Cornetto wrapper, while hopelessly avoiding it melting onto your fingers? Well, Cornetto’s campaign from last September evoked those feelings (even if it was in a much more classy and Mediterranean way) by combining the iconic wrapper with all the representative elements of the season, including surfers, boats, waves, pool inflatables, beach umbrellas and more. These elements were carefully photographed and placed to ensure that the final collage beautifully captured the spirit of summer and the true joy of a Cornetto.

When Beyoncé dropped her country album Cowboy Carter last year, she and Levi’s probably didn’t anticipate teaming up for a brand partnership. But they did, with the launch of their campaign, ‘Reimagine’, by TBWA\Chiat\Day. True to its name, the campaign revisits and reinvents the brand’s heritage, starting with an all-time classic: the 1985 ‘Laundrette’ ad by BBH London, featuring the late Nick Kamen. In this 2024 reboot, Beyoncé takes centre stage, stepping into the laundrette with a modern twist on the original. The bold reimagining sparked debate in the ad world. What do you think?

Okay, you’ve come this far, don’t give up on us now just because we’ve included this one…

Not every campaign that makes our monthly round-ups is universally liked, but we couldn’t possibly exclude the Jaguar campaign and rebrand from November last year. A lot was said about the rebrand, both positive and negative, but if there’s one thing everyone can agree on, it’s that it definitely got everyone talking. Whether you liked it or not, the total deviation from where it’s been before garnered headline upon headline upon headline, making it one of the most hotly debated campaigns in recent times.

Bravo to the Norwegian Postal Service for ‘Reinfall’, a witty and wonderfully original Christmas ad that capped off the year spectacularly. Styled like a mock Netflix documentary, the short film featured personified reindeer chronicling their colleague Rudolph’s meteoric rise and dramatic fall. It was hilariously inventive and a reminder that even icons can stumble.

So there you have it folks, those were our favourite ads from last year. There were so many to pick from and we’re not saying this list is definitive by any means. Many were able to weave social trends, popular events and mutual feelings into the heart of the campaigns, as well as create a platform to be seen on as many different channels as possible. When you find that formula, you are (more often than not) onto a winner. If you’ve been inspired by any of the ads in this blog and need an agency to help with your vision in 2025, simply get in touch.