Cubery, a specialist creative effectiveness consultancy, has created a ranking of Australia's most memorable commercials, measured by the intensity of either love or hate.
Thousands of Australians were asked: “What’s an ad you’ve seen recently that you either loved or hated?”
The most loved, and almost equally hated, at the top of the chart is Telstra’s Wherever We Go, a commercial relentlessly made fun of on the ABC’s Gruen.
Allianz's Flight of the Finch is the second most unforgettable, with almost all who saw it loving the commercial.
“There’s no study anywhere in the world, let alone in Australia, that comes close to matching the scale of what we’re doing here. It’s truly ground breaking,” said Caitlyn Ferruccio, senior consultant at Cubery.
“We’re mapping the intersection of human attention, emotion, and—of course—media muscle, in a way that truly captures the mood of the nation.
“This quarterly study represents a new barometer for marketers and agencies, providing never-before-seen insights into what’s really cutting through, getting noticed, and striking a chord with everyday Australians.”
According to Ferruccio, this first of many top 10 quarterly reports reinforces the power of character-led narratives.
“While it might sound simple, developing a protagonist that elicits intense warmth is a fantastic way to ensure the ad will be remembered,” Ferruccio said.
“From the chatty critters of RACQ to A.R.T.’s big blue monster, these brands demonstrate that characters can come in all shapes and sizes.
“This includes my personal favourite, Paramount+’s adorable goat, which just snuck into the Top 10; a sweet reminder of the emotional magic animals can bring.”
The right soundtrack also has the ability to completely alter the way people engage with advertising, which proved fundamental to many of the top 10 performers.
“Advertisers shouldn’t treat music as an afterthought,” Ferruccio said. “From the instant earworm of Telstra’s whistle to the upbeat tempo of KFC’s ‘I love It’ and the stirring soundtrack of Allianz—the latter skyrocketing up the rankings despite only being launched late in the quarter—the transformational power of music was on full display.”
But memorability is ultimately a function of both creative power and media power.
“Relying too heavily on the latter can be a slippery slope, with excess media exposure delivering on the goal of keeping the brand top of mind but running the risk of adversely affecting how people respond to a piece of creative over time,” Ferruccio said.
Telstra’s ‘Wherever We Go’ topped the chart, with one half loving it and the other half hating it.
“While branded memorability is the cornerstone of short- and long-term effectiveness,” Ferruccio added, “equally important is framing the brand—and the problems it helps solve—in a positive light, meaning the jury’s still out on this strategy!”
Cubery’s research was conducted via an online survey of Australians aged 18 and over. Interviews were conducted weekly, with results aggregated across the quarter (April 1 to June 30), totalling about 5,000 responses. Participants were asked to spontaneously recall a recent ad they either loved or hated, indicate their sentiment toward it, and identify the brand behind it.
The top 10:
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