‘Skip ad’ is arguably the world’s most successful call to action. But before streaming services, TV ads were watched, and enjoyed, as part of the entertainment experience - not as an interruption of it. Now, most TV adverts are just background noise.

The average TV ad is around 30 seconds long, while the average human attention span is 8 (one second shorter than that of a goldfish!). So, which TV ads made viewers sit up and switch on? And more importantly, why?

What makes a successful TV ad?

Successful TV ads don’t feel like ads. They resonate with their audience and they’re memorable. Whether they use humour or tug on our heart strings, their storylines make us feel something on an emotional level. Most successful TV ads adhere to a combination of the following TV ad checklist:

1. Follow the 3-second rule – our attention spans are short, and we’re now used to consuming short-form video content. The best TV ads engage its viewers within the first 3 seconds.
2. Tell a story – emotionally engaging and single-minded storylines capture audiences’ attentions from start to finish. This is often what makes them memorable.
3. Make your audience feel seen – featuring the target demographic in the advert helps them to relate and resonate with the ad. Representation matters!
4. Add a call to action – the best ads clearly tell their audience what they want them to do after watching. Most TV ads address the ‘why’ by solving a problem with their product, but few continue to successfully answer the ‘how’ with an effective CTA.
5. Schedule your ad strategically – the top TV ads often owe a large part of their success to their placement on TV. An effective TV ad is only effective if the right people see it.

Refinery’s top 10 TV ads

There are thousands of brilliant TV ads out there but here are some of our favourites and how they’ve cut through the noise and stuck in our mind.

1) Coinbase’s floating QR code ad

Famously premiered at the 2022 Super Bowl, this ad features nothing but a black screen and a colour changing QR code for 60 whole seconds. When scanned, it redirects the viewers to a website where users can get a chance to win a cryptocurrency coin like BTC. The QR code was scanned so many times that Coinbase’s website crashed within a few hours.

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Why was this so successful?

Put simply, it was disruptive because it didn’t feel like a TV ad. Its silent, logo-less simplicity evoked curiosity in its viewers with its implied CTA to scan the code. And, of course, its nearly $14 million placement at the 2022 Super Bowl put it in front of a huge audience and was one of the main talking points of the event.

2) Cadbury’s Drumming Gorilla

Cadbury’s TV ads always celebrate the weird and wonderful and the Drumming Gorilla is no exception. This ad is 90 seconds of a gorilla drumming to Phil Collins. It’s wacky, catchy and seemingly nothing to do with chocolate, but it works.

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Why though?

Everyone knows what Cadbury’s tastes like, but this ad focuses on why we eat chocolate – it’s a joyful experience! Because Cadbury were selling the feeling their product evokes rather than the product itself, it felt less like an ad and 90 seconds of pure entertainment. The iconic Phil Collins chorus along with the unexpected main character made this ad memorable.

3) Snickers: you’re not you when you’re hungry

Capitalising on the fame of Betty White and Joan Collins, Snickers’ ‘You’re Not You…’ campaign launch at the 2010 Super Bowl was the first of many successful TV ads in the series.

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Why was it a success?

The original TV ad was particularly successful as it not only featured two infamous celebrities but also a football theme which was directly relevant to where it premiered (the Super Bowl). The humour, storytelling and continued use of unexpected celebrities throughout the series made this one of the most successful global campaigns of all time.

4) Dove: Cost of Beauty

1 in 2 young people’s mental health is negatively affected by social media. Instead of shying away from this stat, Dove confronted the beauty industry and asked, ‘what is the cost of toxic beauty standards?’ by telling real peoples’ stories of their struggles with their body image and mental health.

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Success?

The raw honesty and poignant message of this ad is what successfully captured attention and hearts. By using real stories and experiences that many young women could relate to, Dove resonated with its audience on an emotional level by making people feel less alone.

5) Old Spice: the man your man could smell like

Despite holding a large portion of the US men’s hygiene market, Old Spice was seen as archaic and a bit dull. They spruced up their image with a cheeky TV campaign ‘The man your man could smell like’, starring actor and former NFL wide receiver Isaiah Mustafa.

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Why was it successful?

Although Old Spice is aimed primarily at men, this ad spoke directly – and effectively – to their partners: straight women. The cheeky, outspoken tone of the TV ad blew away Old Spice’s cobwebs and entertained its viewers, engaging them from the first second and leaving a lasting impression.

6) Compare the Market: Compare the Meerkat

Born out of a need to find cheaper search terms than “compare” and “market”, Compare the Meerkat’s Aleksandr is now a media presence in his own right.

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Why was this such a success?

The first ‘Compare the Meerkat’ TV ad was particularly successful because it was so simple yet so unexpected. It made the dull subject of car insurance fun. By creating characters the audience connected with, people actually looked forward to where the meerkat’s storylines would go next.

7) Always: Like a Girl

Since its release in 2014, Like a Girl is still sparking conversations today about empowering women and breaking stereotypes. By turning an insult into a compliment, Always changed perspectives with this powerful brand ad.

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Why did it work?

Based on undeniable human insight, this ad was shot in a behind-the-scenes, case-study style and featured no product making it feel more honest and relatable. By questioning the meaning of the phrase ‘like a girl’ and starting an open conversation about gender stereotypes, the hashtag #LikeAGirl is still sparking perception changing conversations in 2023.

8) Budweiser – Whassup?

Budweiser did what most brands dream of doing – introducing their own phrase into everyday vernacular. After the campaign release, people all over the world were asking ‘whassup?’.

Why was it a success?

This ad is considered to be the start of viral advertising with its memorable (and now famous) ‘whassup?’ catch phrase. By creating a feeling of togetherness, and a club that everyone wanted to be a part of, Budweiser’s campaign became a part of pop culture and a introduced a phrase that is still used in everyday vernacular.

9) Channel 4: Meet the Superhumans

Before this campaign from Channel 4, only 14% of the population said they were looking forward to the Paralympic Games. But, Channel 4 had plans to make it bigger than the Olympic Games. And their ambitions paid off.

How did they do it?

As children, we’re told ‘not to stare’ at people with disabilities but Channel 4 ripped up the rule book and told us it was actually rude not to. By presenting Paralympians as powerful warriors rather than people to pity, Channel 4 not only positively changed views of the Paralympics but also society’s view on what it means to be ‘disabled’. By the end of the 2012 Paralympic and Olympic games, with the help of Meet the Superhumans, 79% of people agreed that the Paralympics were just as good as the Olympics.

10) John West: Enduring the Worst to Bring You the Best.

‘Fresh’ fish is seen as better quality than tinned fish. But if a fisherman has fought a bear to catch it, it must be pretty darn good. Right? Showcasing the lengths a company goes to bring its customers the best product is a well-trodden path however no one has done it better than John West.

Why was it successful?

Humour is a proven way to connect with your audience and John West used it brilliantly. The bizarre slapstick comedy of the ‘man VS bear’ fight made this ad both hilariously funny and most of all; memorable. This resulted in one of the best examples of dramatising the truth that advertising has ever seen.

A recipe for success?

Our favourite TV ads celebrate the best advertising has to offer. The weird, the wonderful, the hilarious, the poignant and the revolutionary.

Which TV ad would you add to this list?