My weekly compilation of clutter-breaking creative ads was the source for the first part of my mega list of best ads of 2025. Here’s the second and final part. Hope you enjoy it.
Five Star chicken: death of a salesman
The hallmark of any top-notch advertisement is the right combination of creative strategy and execution. It takes a lot of smarts to figure out what needs to be said and then the ‘how it needs to be said’. An ad for Five Star Chicken in Thailand – created in a mockumentary style film takes potshots at people’s obsession with online ratings and then links it back cleverly to the brand.
KFC: Baby Sanders Collection
To celebrate Colonel Sanders’ birthday month, KFC Thailand launched Baby Sanders Collection – a limited-edition series that reimagines Colonel Sanders as six collectible figurines, made available in mystery boxes. A hilarious film brings out the passion of a ‘collector ‘ eager to complete the range. It’s not just the TVC but even the promotion is very well thought out and executed. The figurines are available in mystery boxes and there’s that one figure which I guess would be made available scarcely. The obsession to get that missing figurine is manifested in everything the protagonist sees as the ‘missing piece’ and the disappointment in not completing the range is brought out so well.
McDonald’s Kung Fries
Food advertising isn’t always about drool-worthy product & ingredient shots (like in Lurpak). But then you might wonder if McDonald’s and French fries qualify as food. Nevertheless, who are we to judge what’s popular especially when we know how irresistible the brand’s fries are. A new ad for McDonald’s Taiwan cleverly marries the common plank of ‘we go to any lengths to protect what is ours when it comes to tasty food’ with a twist: kung fu. Apparently, kung fu is a revered part of everyday life in Taiwan, taught in schools, performed at temples, and subject of viral videos.
So we have a protagonist staving off those attempting to ‘steal’ her McDonald’s fries with kung fu moves. But it’s not just a story line. There are five real Kung Fries moves weaved into the ad and every McDonald’s Taiwan meal now comes with a Kung Fries tutorial printed on the tray mat. Good, engaging fun.
Bravehearts: grooming hides behind harmless
When I first came across this campaign on LinkedIn, it stopped me in my tracks. I did a double take after I realised the unusual nature of the image, which can be easily missed at first glance. But the line is a show stopper making you search for the twist in the plot. And when you get the message, it sends a shiver down your spine. This series makes you uncomfortable with the bitter truth and creates awareness about sensitive topic.
Apple: no frame missed
When I saw this video (not a conventional ad) first reaction was: ‘wish I worked for this brand’. What drives that emotion is the deep respect for the products they create, the real impact they have on people and the manner in which they tell their story. What worked? Among the protagonist is someone who was a professional cameraman. Imagine the tragedy of not being able to use the camera because of unstable hand movement. Sure, other phone models might have stability control as a feature but the story telling and the emotional connect here is special. I had tears watching some segments of this film.
The Periodic Fable:
The Ordinary, a D2C brand in the beauty segment launched “The Periodic Fable” – a scathing attack on the fakery of buzzwords and fake promises common in the category. It creates awareness about misleading claims and urges consumers to not buy into a “magic” fix but trust skincare backed by scientific evidence. I loved the ‘pseudo scientific’ periodic table design element on its own and the way it was brought alive so well in outdoor. Read more about the campaign here.
Nike marathon: power of outdoor, print & copywriting
Through the year, Nike’s copywriters outdid themselves many times with some great work linked to marathon events in the US. The lines showed a great understanding of the outdoor medium, what motivates serious runners who are passionate enough to take part in marathons and also how the brand halo is made stronger through work that is share-worthy.
By far, my favourite piece of writing has to be this set of print ads released in November 2025.
McDonald’s – dreamy breakfast
Advertising’s potential to solve a business problem through a creative idea is amply demonstrated in this campaign to promote McDonald’s breakfast in Taiwan. The problem: many consumers wake up late and hence miss the breakfast served at McDonald’s as that service is available only till 10:30AM. So the brand decided to urge people to go to bed early so they can wake up early for breakfast.
Read more about the campaign here.
Jeep Grand Wagoneer: launch of ‘family’ SUV
‘The Best Car to Have Sex In’ is a show-stopper of a claim. In a meta ad pitch inside an ad, comedian Iliza Shlesinger presents creative ways to sell the ‘The Family SUV’. The idea for the campaign came from an actual article turning the headline into a story plot. The TVC has several funny moments and one-liners including Iliza being given the position Chief Family Officer, ending with the line: ‘Room for the family, or room to make one‘.
Waitrose: The Perfect Gift
The context: the ‘Christmas ad’ is tough brief. While UK’s ‘big retail’ brands have a natural fit and reason to advertise, there is tremendous pressure to outperform competing brands in the category as well other advertisers during the season. The marketing world and media looks out for such ads and gives visibility to the popular ones. This year, I thought almost all the ads were underwhelming including the much anticipated one for John Lewis. In that context, the new ad from Waitrose is refreshingly engaging.
Why I like it: while it has all the ingredients of a typical feel-good romcom it is still not predictably boring thanks to the great casting, acting and a simple, charming plot with a twist. Also, most big retail brands anchor their Christmas ad on ‘the gift’ whereas focusing on food as the differentiator helps it stand out. Loved it. 5 stars.:
TESCO: that’s what makes it Christmas
‘When the world zigs, zag’ is the famous philosophy of BBH. It cues the need to break through the clutter and the sea of sameness in a category. Christmas ads have typically been about ‘shiny, happy people’ often shown in cliched representations. A new campaign for TESCO, highlights the everyday chaos and the trivial things that lead to arguments or discussions during family gatherings during festivals. We can all relate to it universally, even in household which don’t celebrate Christmas.
Apple TV: identity
In Walter Isaacson’s book on Steve Jobs there this story with a reference to his father, Paul who was a mechanic. Steve’s father had such an appreciation for craftsmanship that he’d finish both the front and backsides of his cabinets, even though a user will not see the back side of a cabinet. This story is often quoted to highlight Apple’s obsession with quality & craftsmanship. I think the idea comes through with the way the agency & brand team have created the new identity for Apple TV – not through CGI or AI tools.
Amazon: real reviews, real actor
Sometimes, the idea for a script can come alive only through great acting. Reading out ‘actual’ reviews or social media comments has been done before. What works for Amazon here are the choice of reviews, the products chosen and fantastic delivery by Benedict Cumberbatch. ‘Bidet’ and ‘Boyfriend pillow’ were the best of the lot.
Watch the rest of the ads here.
Marty Supreme: Zoom Call
In a fantastic ad promotion for the movie, Marty Supreme, Hollywood star Timothée Chalamet ‘pitched’ totally whacked out ‘marketing’ ideas for the movie. The ad itself is supposedly a recording of the Zoom call. All the actors have done their part perfectly and makes the 18-min watch totally worth it.
The script and attention to detail is top class. Read more about it here.
Sanpellegrino: Italian time
Self-deprecating humour works very well for brands. Italians, their way of life and their love for food has long been a subject of humour in movies & sitcoms. A new campaign for S. Pellegrino, a natural mineral water and drinks brand, ‘explains’ the reasons why mealtimes stretch un-endingly in Italy, with all the usual references to cousins, leftovers and stories. The brand is woven naturally in the film script as the one that helps you through the meal, the after meal and the after-after meal.
Ryanair: social media
Kudos to the social media team. I think it comes from clarity on both the brand’s business model and tone of voice. Also there is confidence in knowing that humour is okay, even if it’s edgy bordering on being ‘rude’. I guess the intended target audience appreciates such humour and takes it in their stride.
Uber Eats: delivery almost anything, creatively
Over the last couple of years, Uber Eats has released some compelling ads to cue that you can order anything on the platform – not just food. ‘This but not that’ (‘grapes but not apes‘) led to some hilarious work to drive home the message. And then the promise of ‘you’d go to any lengths to get the membership benefits’ featured Brian Cox in a brilliantly scripted and acted ad.
This year, the brand team delivered many hits across different themes: ‘get almost anything delivered’, US football is just an excuse for eating and Uber Eats as a reward.
Uber: in good time, can’t do that and holiday ad
The head of marketing at Uber, North America said ‘We’re reimagining how Uber fits into daily life outside the city, because wherever you are, there’s a driver you can count on.’ So it’s all about reliability of an ‘always available’ driver in the context of life outside the big metro in the US.
What I liked about this campaign: a ‘hero’ film which takes forward the idea of driver available everywhere through an emotional love story. The creative idea of a ‘drive arriving in 4 min’ or 6 min is brilliant.
The tactical ads, on the other hand, focus on a specific use case and a corresponding solution from Uber: XL cars for large storage, event unexpected tantrums from your dog and so on.
People want positive vibes during the festive season. It’s the time when families get together for celebrations, often forgetting differences. Now wonder, tugging at the heartstrings to tell an emotional story is a common theme from brands during this time of the year. Uber has been pitching its services to the American suburbs recently. As an extension of theme, a holiday ad tells the story of a young lady and her relationship with her father over the years.
The Economist: outdoor
Amidst all the talk of AI takign everyone’s job, I came across this outdoor ad on LinkedIn which reminded me of the famous classic print & outdoor ads from the brand.
There was also this speculative ad created by Mikey Robinson which was brilliant.
Which one was your favourite? Do comment in.
