Today, we’re turning the spotlight on some of the most innovative and creative campaigns out there, as chosen by some of our team. From catchy slogans to humorous jabs at competitors, these campaigns have captured our attention and left a lasting impression. Whether you’re a marketer seeking fresh ideas or simply a fan of great advertising, there’s something for everyone in our roundup of the best marketing campaigns.

Ben Turnbull, Associate Account Director

A favourite campaign of Ben’s is Surreal’s, ‘the famous celebrity campaign’. Surreal aims to create the kind of cereal we all loved as kids but nutritionally relevant for today’s market. The brand has been positioned as a challenger brand. They’re in an oversaturated market so they take risks and have to think outside the box to help cut through. The brand language has a sense of surprise and will uplift the audience with their off-beat remarks. ‘The famous celebrity campaign’ uses celebrities' names to help market their cereal as one of the best in the market, making ‘cheeky’ comments.

“It’s a brand that uses simple but witty copywriting to grab consumers' attention. A great brand awareness campaign that aligns with the brand values and personality, creating a social media buzz and cut-through in what is a crowded market.”

Laura Skeggs, Senior Digital Project Manager

The age-old debate of Coca-Cola vs Pepsi. For Laura, Pepsi wins every time, not just on the taste test but the best marketing campaign too.

Pepsi uses comparative advertising to show that they’re the ‘superior’ brand. The campaign is cheeky, saying that the dinner tastes ‘ok’ with Coke but would taste better with Pepsi Max. Many brands use comparative advertising, but it’s rare to see it done quite so aggressively!

“It's simple, cheeky, clever. Plays on the historic rivalry between the brands and highlights a quite funny flaw in the Coke name. Ultimately it makes me feel like I’m in on the joke and I get it, which makes me feel good. I also happen to agree with them – Pepsi Max over Coke in the taste test every time!”

Emily Prior-Such, Social Media Manager

If you didn’t see any of the Barbie movie marketing last year, you must have been living under a rock. Whether you were a Barbie fan or not, everyone was getting involved. This is one of the best examples of an interactive marketing campaign having many different touchpoints; from video to social media, to even creating the Barbie Dream house in real life. The campaign allowed everyone to get involved and created a sense of nostalgia for those who had grown up with Barbie. The marketing campaign really paid off as the release of the film crushed box office expectations, reaching $377 million globally.

“For me, it has to be the Barbie movie marketing from last year! There were so many different touch points including brand collaborations with Balmain and Xbox, a partnership with AirBnB to create the actual Barbie Dreamhouse IRL and even a selfie generator to share your own Barbie moment on social media – and that’s just scratching the surface!”

Anil Nataly, Creative Director

Next, we have our Creative Director, Anil’s, top picks. He couldn’t pick one so we have his two best marketing campaigns. First up is McCain’s ‘Second to Mum’; this campaign really resonates by being relatable to their audience. They use the fact that everyone loves a home-cooked meal, and Mum's cooking is the best. Also, McCain, if you’re reading - Anil has a great idea for a follow-up campaign…

“McCain’s "Second to Mum" campaign is genius because it’s like they know they’re almost as good as those chips your mum makes when she’s in a good mood - almost. It’s a charming way of saying, “We’re the best of the rest,” while giving a nod to Mum's kitchen supremacy. It’s cheeky, it’s fun, and let’s be honest, it’s pretty brave to admit you’re playing for silver. Plus, it resonates with just about everyone who has a soft spot for home-cooked meals. So, while we all adore Mum's magical touch in the kitchen, McCain's is there to fill the fry-shaped hole in our hearts when we can't pop over to Mum's.
Although I wish they did it for Dads too as a follow-up campaign, because we cook and care just as much!”

Another great marketing campaign for Anil was Channel 4’s ‘Superhuman’ campaign for the 2012 Paralympics. The advertising really focuses on the amazing athletes and what they’ve achieved. It creates a sense of pride and makes you want to get involved and do something great too. The production and art direction for the campaign really does the talking…

It’s a stroke of brilliance! They totally celebrate Paralympians in a way that makes you forget they’re even advertising anything. It’s like, ‘Forget about limits; let’s focus on what makes these athletes absolutely incredible.’ They showcase the sports stars doing great feats of athleticism, all while rocking a killer soundtrack. It’s not just an ad; it’s a full-on celebration of ability, resilience, and downright awesomeness. It makes you think, ‘If they can do that, I can at least stop binge-watching and go for a jog,’ which I didn't! It's clever, inspiring, and a bit of a wake-up call - all wrapped up with a bow of top-notch production. Really, it turns the whole idea of disability on its head and leaves you feeling pretty pumped about human potential.”

Kyle Kirkland, Associate Social Media Director

Seeing is believing, but with Kyle’s favourite marketing campaign, you’ll need to look twice to uncover the full picture. VCCP London took a unique approach to advertise the return of Müller Corner’s Mississippi Mud Pie Flavour. Instead of taking the usual approach and showing clearly what the product is, in collaboration with Magic Eye Inc., they created a series of optical illusions. These illusions took the world by storm back in the 90s, (around the same time that Mississippi Mud Pie made its first appearance), creating a sense of nostalgia.

“I really like the recent Muller campaign for the return of the Mississippi Mud Pie corner. They used Magic Eye to create an optical illusion and used word art in their ads to make it a proper nostalgic throwback!”

Jen Dixon, Head of Growth Operations

Oasis made waves with their ‘O Refreshing Stuff’ campaign, using bold designs and humour to captivate a new generation. They used a very distinctive illustrative style that would appeal specifically to the younger audience and delivered witty messages like ‘It’s summer. You’re thirsty. We’ve got sales targets’. This campaign really helped to bring the brand to life and make them relatable whilst attracting that younger audience they were aiming for.

“A campaign I really loved for the directness is ‘O Refreshing Stuff’ from Oasis drinks. They used humorous taglines to attract their audience - it really made me take a second look, and stuck in my mind as it was so unique. Also, I loved the visual styling and illustrations. It's a really bold and impactful design.”

Ben FatherS, Managing Director

Ben’s thoughts on the ‘sweetest’ campaign are directed to Tony’s Chocoloney. Previously the brand had preferred to engage with consumers through organic channels. However, late last year they decided to dive into the world of paid media to grow their reach and ‘turbocharge’ their message. The brand has a great mission to eradicate slavery and exploitation throughout the chocolate supply chain, and they’re using paid media to shout this message loud and clear. It’s a great move from them and their bold and bright branding makes them hard to miss.

Another one on Ben’s list of best marketing campaigns is Hyundai's marketing campaign ‘The Dawn of a New Hyundai’. It is centred around the pronunciation of its brand name and has stood the test of time, demonstrating remarkable longevity in the evolving world of advertising. Although the first version of a campaign based around its name was launched several years ago, it continues to resonate with the audience. This cements Hyundai's consistency and creates great brand recognition.

“I’ve been impressed with Tony’s Chocolate PR on colour recently and their paid media seems to be everywhere!! Another more traditional one has been the Hyundai campaign, based on their brand pronunciation, this was released a few years ago and they have maintained it in their comms until now. This is great as it has longevity.”

What do you think is the best marketing campaign out there? There are so many great brands that think outside the box and create some amazing advertising. Do you have a great idea for a campaign for your brand but need help executing it? Talk to the team today.

Team Picks: Together Agency’s Favourite Marketing Campaigns

Ben Turnbull, Associate Account Director

Laura Skeggs, Senior Digital Project Manager

Emily Prior-Such, Social Media Manager

Anil Nataly, Creative Director

Kyle Kirkland, Associate Social Media Director

Jen Dixon, Head of Growth Operations

Ben FatherS, Managing Director

THIS IS WHAT WE'RE
TALKING ABOUT

Team Picks: Together Agency’s Favourite Marketing Campaigns

Ben Turnbull, Associate Account Director

Laura Skeggs, Senior Digital Project Manager

Emily Prior-Such, Social Media Manager

Anil Nataly, Creative Director

Kyle Kirkland, Associate Social Media Director

Jen Dixon, Head of Growth Operations

Ben FatherS, Managing Director

THIS IS WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT

THIS IS WHAT WE'RE
TALKING ABOUT