The MIM:AGENCY team analyzed which creatives were named the most effective in 2025 by Kantar. The analytics company announced the winners of its annual Creative Effectiveness Awards, recognizing the best advertising campaigns across traditional and digital media. This year, experts gave preference to real-life stories where brands fit organically into people’s everyday lives.

TV advertising: creativity went viral

The main winner in the TV advertising category was a commercial for the British food delivery service Deliveroo by the Pablo London agency. The “Octopus Man” campaign tells the unusual story of a seducer with a human body and octopus limbs who orders food, drinks, and flowers through Deliveroo during a date. Brand managers liked the character so much that they plan to use him in future creative projects.

The top three also included VML London’s “Better to Break” commercial for KitKat, where the main character is literally stuck with chores and problems, and adam&eveDDB’s “YourWagen” creative for Volkswagen with stories from real owners of the brand’s cars.

Outdoor advertising: less is more

In the outdoor and press advertising category, the winner was the campaign by Norwegian agency Uncommon Creative for Coca-Cola, “Take a Coke, Light Up the Darkness.” Unlike bright and flashy outdoor advertising, this campaign featured photographs of Oslo’s gloomy streets, where the only color element was Coca-Cola. The idea resonates perfectly with Norwegians who live in places with long winters.

Second place went to Anomaly London’s digital outdoor advertising for Google Pixel 9 smartphones with Gemini, whose message changed depending on the time and location.

Digital and social media: Latin American vibe wins

The best online ad of 2025 was a campaign by Italian agency LePub Milan for Desperados beer, “Beer with a Latin American vibe.” The creative shows boring everyday situations that this drink can liven up.

Desperados representatives explained the idea behind the campaign: “Young people often find it difficult to let loose and behave naturally. The world is in chaos, and strict self-control is now valued. We developed the campaign together with consumers, consistently testing creative solutions.”

The top spots also included the “Michael Cera” campaign for CeraVe by Ogilvy New York and the work of the Australian Ministry of Tourism, timed to coincide with Taylor Swift’s concerts.

What does artificial intelligence say?

Kantar separately highlighted advertisements that were highly rated by their Link AI artificial intelligence system. According to the company, advertisements marked by this system increase the likelihood of sales growth and return on marketing investment fourfold.

AI ranked the ad by New Zealand’s DDB NZ for Freya’s, a company that produces bread according to European recipes, in first place. The campaign encourages people to put aside traditional white bread and diversify their lives.

The formula for effective advertising

After analyzing the winners’ strategies, Kantar identified four components of the most effective advertising in 2025:

  • Realism and regional specificity. Advertising should be related to everyday life and show moments from people’s lives. It should take into account the cultural and geographical context of the audience.
  • Risk and boldness. Surreal ideas, exaggerated visual effects, and fantastic scenarios don’t just attract attention — they make advertising stand out from the general information noise.
  • Rethinking. Brands need to refer to the past to establish strong connections with modern people. It is important to emphasize that the brand has always been there for its consumers, growing and changing alongside them.
  • Trend watching. Brands need to stay on top of trends and listen to what people are talking about. Successful advertising knows how to capture relevant cultural moments and use them to its advantage.

“Marketers are trying to find the secret ingredients that will be relevant to every viewer. The leaders in the ranking demonstrate how creativity can truly engage an audience. The power of creativity in building brands and growing sales is more evident than ever,” commented Kantar on the results of the ranking.

The main conclusion: effective advertising in 2025 is a combination of authenticity, boldness, and a deep understanding of your audience.

Sources:

  1. https://www.kantar.com/campaigns/creative-effective