The 10 best ads I saw in London in 2024
Take your eyes off the phone and something magic will happen...
Ok maybe not something magic, but there is some seriously good advertising out there. And you reckon it’s great when you get naturally curious about the product, and even better: you might want to take a picture to share it with friends.
There is where advertising becomes almost art.
I love billboard ads and out of home advertising for a few reasons:
1. It's REAL. You see it in the streets, on the tube, around town
2. If memorable and impactful, consumers are likely to share that on social media, driving real earned media.
So, 3 rules for me:
1. Keep it simple: We are aiming at a distracted audience. Use minimal text, large fonts, and focus on ONE single, clear message. The imagery and text should work together to convey the core idea instantly.
2. Make it relevant: There must be a coherence between the message, the product and the execution – including the placement of the billboard, mostly when there is only one billboard.
3. Place it where it matters: The location of the billboard dictates who sees it, so tailor your message to the environment and audience. Ensure the content is relevant to the specific audience in that location.
In one word, IMPACT.
In the words of Tim Delaney, one of the greatest copywriters of all time:
“Brands need to take advantage of the micro targeting allowed by social media. But brands also need presence – broadcast if you like – that puts them in the public domain, allowing for shared experience and the power of media stature, good old-fashioned size. Nothing achieves this faster and with more power than OOH”.
10. Monzo
From turning a broken toilet into a beautiful bird fountain to freezing ice blocks turning into fluffy slippers. A new visual series of comparisons, showing that no matter how money feels - with Monzo it feels better.
This year Monzo went mainstream without losing its cool: a wider audience was needed to sustain its growth. They partnered with Uncommon - usually a guarantee in terms of creativity - and they used this campaign to chase a bit of an older audience (35-55).
The result was this campaign that leverages a lot the emotions that are associated with money, and gives with Monzo a completely different perspective, highlighting how Monzo is different from the other traditional players in the industry. No need to delve into interest rates or details that are only likely to get anyone a headache.
I love how there is no need for copy, but the whole comparison is so visual and immediate, with a great use of Monzo’s hot coral colour, a distinctive asset.
9. Itsu
The ad itself is ok, maybe not trascendental, but what I loved was that Itsu took almost a whole wall in the Oxford Circus tube station.
When you're in a low attention environment like the tube, size matters.
Would you rather look at pictures than at a video? Find the whole campaign here.
8. Calpol
I had so much fun when I saw this one, the picture is so good that the copy 'Someone's feeling better' is almost not needed
7. Heinz
Who said nuns don't have fun? Don't you want to try that tomato sauce?
This campaign celebrates the irrational love for this sauce, with a triplet of executions; besides the nun that can’t wait to finish saying grace, there’s also a mischievous Nonna who eats before the kids, and a bride who’d rather wear Heinz Pasta Sauce than wear white (this one was called to be controversial).
The interesting bit is that Heinz claims all these to be real stories, I think it was a bit of a shame that this side didn’t get highlighted enough (probably it was too hard to make it pop on a print ad?).
6. Burger King
It’s estimated that giving birth is as tiring as running a marathon. So yeah, this is the most deserved burger ever.
It all starts from an insight: according to a research, the most desired post-birth food item is a burger.
The campaign was launched on September 26th, the day the highest number of babies are born in the UK [if you’re good at math, you’ll find another reason why Brits love Christmas more than anyone else]. For that day only, Burger King UK also launched The Grill Line, a bespoke hotline for mums in London who have just given birth to receive a Whopper Meal direct to their hospital beds.
The photos are all real (no AI!), and the campaign conveys a sense of rawness that makes it so satisfying. 5. Parkrun
Doctor’s prescriptions are always impossible to decipher, right? Thankfully this is pretty easy to read, and it’s the Parkrun campaign for World Mental Health Day.
A simple doctor's prescription: run for your mental health, weekly.
It’s refreshing and timeless, and perfectly connected with the brand and the occasion of use.
4. British Heart Foundation
I bet you know “England ’til I die! I’m England ‘til I die!”, one of the less creative chants England supporters at international tournaments.
I bet you don’t know that 12 people under 35 are lost to sudden cardiac death in the UK each week. Pretty shocking right?
For the Euros, the British Heart Foundation launched these graffiti, each one representing a young person tragically lost to sudden cardiac arrest.
The use of medium is both innovative and powerful, very suited to the story; one of the finest pieces of work of Saatchi in 2024.
3. Waitrose
The concept of guerrilla marketing was popular around 15 years ago (do you remember when Ryan in the Office launched Wuphf? That kind of old).
Since then, it’s evolved into researching earned media through a single, independent marketing stunt/activation. To signal their price drops, Waitrose deliberately placed a billboard in a way it wasn't hanging straight.
You should know our British friends and their sense of understatement on how they face life's problems. When a pandemic hit they will shrug their shoulders off and say 'well that was hardly optimal', but if they're stuck in traffic for more than 20 minutes 'it's a bloody disgrace'.
A wonky billboard is clearly the second case: a few overzealous citizens alerted the council of the dramatic threats such a billboard was posing, both to whoever would have walked below it and to the public decor. These complaints prompted the council to worry, then fence it... leading it to be a huge PR case for Waitrose, as the whole dreama was covered in all national newspapers.
2. Boursin
The yummiest of them all, and hands down for me the prettiest.
Screw all the fake 3D, AI-3D, virtual reality 3D ads in New York or Tokyo... this is a real 3D ad, it's yummy, shows the product front and centre, gives so many suggestions on how to use it... You don't get any better than this to drive both awareness and consideration.
1. Tesco
This TESCO ad has a few points that could make it the perfect ad:
No logo: there are some distinctive bits, but you can't read TESCO. Just the 'every little helps', and their iconic blue.
No copy: no need for lousy 'these and more', 'discover our full range', 'shop your essentials... and more'. The ad does it all
Shows a wide range: in all the activations there are a few obvious choices (tomato, coconut), but also some things that keep you thinking: eclaire (could have chosen EGG), or oyster mushrooms - only for connoisseurs.
It led to be my most successful TikTok post
All right, this was my top 10 for the year.