Budget Direct.
Budget Direct’s ‘Insurance Solved’ is Australia’s favourite ad, according to The Research Agency’s (TRA) latest Favourite Ads.
The campaign was created by creative agency 303.
The study of more than 1,600 Australians asked respondents to name their favourite ad on TV.
Second place was Allianz 'Care you can count on' by Howatson+Company, Toyota Hilux ‘Oh What a Feeling’ placed third, Youi’s ‘Married at First Sight’ fourth and Telstra’s ‘Wherever We Go’ by Bear Meets Eagle on Fire at fifth.
TRA business director Alex Forrester said the findings challenge marketers to rethink the pursuit of a standard approach to creative.
“What stands out is not how similar these ads are, but how different they are,” said Forrester.
“There’s no single formula for being a favourite ad, but the ads that perform best do three things well: they capture attention, make audiences feel something, and are clearly linked to the brand.
“The key takeaway for brands is to start with a clear, distinctive emotional idea. From there, choose a strong creative route and commit to it fully.
“Australia’s favourite ads are remarkable in how they capture attention, rewarding in the emotional experience they create for audiences, and remembered because the brand is clearly and unmistakably linked to the creative. Consistency is what strengthens those memory structures over time and ultimately drives real impact.
“The most successful campaigns are those that are unmistakably their own. In a crowded and fragmented market where consumer attention is limited, it’s not about doing the same thing better, it’s about doing something different, and doing it well.”
Budget Direct accounted for about 25% of all mentions within the top five.
"This result was a reward for seven years of distinctive storytelling,” said 303 CSO Jody Elston.
“From the outset, we set out to build ‘Insurance Solved’ as an enduring platform, using fresh storytelling to drive attention. We know our brains respond to both familiarity and surprise, and our latest ‘Frozen’ campaign leans into that.
“It dramatises 'bill shock' by literally freezing the heroine and her world, blending the characters and hyperbolic, fantastical action Budget Direct is known for with the very real current pressure of rising insurance costs.”
TRA’s Favourite Ads survey is conducted regularly across Australia and New Zealand, with the latest research undertaken February 24 – March 22 2026.
Budget Direct chief growth officer at auto & general, Jonathan Kerr, said that being behind the public's favourite ad makes this one really special.
"Every day we push ourselves back into our customers' shoes and wonder how we can continue to earn their engagement,” said Kerr.
“Our Marketing team and agency partners work passionately to deliver on our strategy of high-quality, creative consistency powered by outstanding media planning and execution, so to see our ads resonating so well with the public means the world to us all.”
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