Ad Archive: The Best TV Commercials by Year, Brand and Theme

Coca-Cola “Hilltop” (I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke)

Idea: Young people from around the world sing on a hillside in Italy.

Why it works: Jingle, image and message work together. The song became a hit.

Agency: McCann Erickson

Apple “1984”

Idea: A dystopian short film by Ridley Scott introduces the Macintosh without showing the product.

Why it works: Sells a vision instead of features.

Agency: Chiat/Day

Nike “Just Do It”

Idea: The campaign starts with 80-year-old marathon runner Walt Stack.

Why it works: A slogan that lasts decades because it expresses an attitude.

Agency: Wieden+Kennedy

Budweiser “Wassup”

Idea: Three words, endlessly repeated, become a worldwide talking point.

Why it works: Simple and reenactable. People who imitate the spot advertise it.

Agency: DDB Chicago

Old Spice “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like”

Idea: Isaiah Mustafa in one seemingly endless take, from the shower to a horse.

Why it works: Humour that fits the brand and repositions it.

Agency: Wieden+Kennedy

Volkswagen “The Force”

Idea: A boy in a Darth Vader costume tries to use the Force until his dad secretly helps.

Why it works: A story instead of a product demo, released on YouTube beforehand.

Agency: Deutsch LA

Dove “Real Beauty Sketches”

Idea: A sketch artist draws women from their own and from strangers’ descriptions.

Why it works: Sparks a societal conversation while strengthening the brand.

Agency: Ogilvy

Volvo Trucks “Epic Split”

Idea: Jean-Claude Van Damme does the splits between two reversing trucks.

Why it works: A technical feature shown so that everyone understands and wants to share it.

Agency: Forsman & Bodenfors

Always “#LikeAGirl”

Idea: Adults and girls show what “like a girl” means.

Why it works: Addresses a real problem and becomes a movement.

Agency: Leo Burnett

Edeka “Supergeil”

Idea: Friedrich Liechtenstein sings about shopping in a quirky music video.

Why it works: Courage to be different: a retail spot that works as a music video.

Agency: Jung von Matt

Edeka “#heimkommen”

Idea: A lonely grandfather fakes his death so his family comes home for Christmas.

Why it works: It polarised: some were moved, others found it macabre. One of the best-known German ads.

Agency: Jung von Matt

Penny “Der Riss”

Idea: Everyday scenes about pandemic, climate, war and migration.

Why it works: A bold societal theme instead of product.

Penny “The Kids”

Idea: At 3 minutes 14 seconds the longest Christmas spot of the year.

Why it works: Length as a deliberate stylistic device.

Aldi “Mission Impossible” with Kevin the Carrot

Idea: Parody of “Mission: Impossible” with the carrot as hero.

Why it works: Recognisable character, film parody, clear brand.

Edeka “Feiert Weihnachten, wie ihr wollt!”

Idea: Actor Marc Hosemann is the centre, humour instead of melancholy.

Why it works: An example of the trend away from the tearjerker.

Amazon Christmas: the sledding grandmother trio

Idea: The same film has run for three years and leads the YouGov ranking of favourite ads.

Why it works: A recognisable element outweighs a new concept every year.

Aldi Süd Christmas 2025: self-irony about the pressure of a perfect Christmas

Idea: Takes on the pressure of the perfect Christmas with humour.

Why it works: Fits the value positioning. Seen as calming according to YouGov.

John Lewis “Gloria and Pickles”

Idea: Kristin Scott Thomas as Gloria, a toy dog named Pickles sends her on a gift hunt. Tagline: “Don’t give up on giving”.

Why it works: An everyday worry as the idea. 20th edition of the series.

Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi