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We regularly survey a nationally representative sample of Australians and New Zealanders to discover which ads are truly resonating.
To find out, we ask them a simple, unprompted question; “What is your favourite ad on TV at the moment?”.
The most frequently mentioned favourites make up our top five list. Explore the rankings below.
One NZ’s Let’s Get Connected Part 2 builds on a distinctive brand world that continues to cut through. The intriguing storyline and quirky, familiar characters create an entertaining narrative that holds attention from beginning to end. It shows how committing to a unique creative platform overtime strengthens recognition, making each new instalment feel both fresh and unmistakably One NZ.
The Satellite Calling with WhatsApp execution extends this world while shifting focus to a clearer product message. By retaining the same characters and tone, the ad delivers clarity without sacrificing entertainment.
Previous winner, Tina from Turners continues to show the strength of a well-established creative platform. Tina’s Road trip builds on a familiar formula, pairing a recognisable character with a playful storyline that feels true to the brand.
What keeps the platform working is its entertainment value. The distinctly Kiwi humour makes it enjoyable to watch, aligning with TRA’s recent insights on how brands have permission to play. Combined with consistent use of Tina and clear brand cues, it’s a campaign that continues to capture attention while reinforcing memory over time.
Consistently ranking among the top ads, ASB’s Ben and Amy platform continues to connect with New Zealanders. Rather than a one-off execution, it’s an evolving story – one that audiences have followed over time, making each new chapter feel familiar, but still engaging.
The ongoing narrative taps into the Zeigarnik effect, where unfinished stories stay front of mind, keeping people invested in what happens next – in this case, a furry family addition. Combined with its distinctly Kiwi-coded humour, strong performances, and clear link back to ASB, it’s a campaign that remains entertaining, memorable, and easy to recognise.
ANZ continues to build on the Sharma family platform, reinforcing the value of long-term storytelling. This latest Cricket execution centres on a simple, relatable scene of neighbourhood cricket, brought to life through familiar characters.
What stands out is its lightness. The humour, grounded in an everyday setting, taps into a distinctly Kiwi sensibility, making it enjoyable and easy to connect with. Combined with the consistent use of the Sharma family, it’s a reminder that small, human moments – when delivered well – can be just as effective in capturing attention and reinforcing memory.
A new entrant to New Zealand’s Favourite Ads, New World’s Kebabs campaigns hows how strong storytelling and clear branding can work hand in hand. The narrative weaves product naturally into the story, making it easy to recognise as New World without feeling overly forced.
What elevates it is its warmth and entertainment value. The humour, distinctly Kiwi in tone, sits alongside a heartwarming storyline and strong performances, creating an ad that people enjoy watching as much as they remember.
Moving into the top spot, Budget Direct continues to demystify insurance with a clear problem-solution structure, delivered via bold, entertaining storytelling. The recurring trio of Sarge, Jacs, and their little dog Chief bring consistency and memorability, while the mystery-investigation format in their latest instalment Frozen delivers entertainment value.
Each evolution of the platform – new case, same characters – reinforces the brand’s dependability, making “Insurance Solved” not just a line, but a narrative device. It’s distinctive, repeatable, and unmistakably theirs.
Previous winner, Allianz, continues to engage audiences with their Care You Count On campaign. Set against iconic Australian landscapes, this ad takes a bold emotional approach in a category typically dominated by rational messaging.
A simple narrative of vulnerability and protection taps into primal emotion, while a nostalgic, culturally familiar soundtrack deepens the payoff. Rather than relying on overt branding, the story encodes Allianz as the protector – a metaphor for the brand’s promise of providing unwavering support during life's uncertainties.
Re-entering the top five, Toyota leans into a distinctly Australian style of storytelling, grounded in familiar cultural cues and brought to life through a playful, exaggerated narrative. What starts as a simple moment escalates into a lighthearted spectacle, holding attention and delivering a strong entertaining payoff.
The humour works because it feels recognisable – rooted in small towns, dirt roads and familiar Aussie characters – but pushed just far enough to feel fresh. Crucially, the HiLux sits at the centre of the story throughout, with each moment reinforcing the product’s role.
Remaining in fourth place, Youi’s latest ad series taps into cultural relevance by drawing on the familiar language of reality TV show Married at First Sight Australia, reframing insurance as something more entertaining, personal and relatable. The ad captures attention quickly, while exaggerated characters and tone add a layer of humour.
This approach is applied consistently across various iterations, reinforcing a clear, consistent message that strengthens brand attribution.
Keeping its place in the top 5, Telstra’s now-iconic Wherever We Go platform shows how consistency and distinctiveness build memory over time. Rather than reinventing the wheel, this iteration builds on a familiar brand world – the laid-back character, offbeat animation style, and unmistakable whistle – creating something audiences instantly recognise.
These distinctive brand assets do much of the heavy lifting, making the ad both entertaining and easy to attribute. Over time, this consistency compounds, embedding the creative into culture and making it unmistakably Telstra.
To understand if advertising is landing as intended, it’s important to look beyond surface-level metrics and consider whether the creative is driving impact over time.
This means looking at how people respond to the campaign – whether they notice it, remember it, and correctly link it to the brand – as well as how it performs against business objectives. Does it shift perceptions, change behaviour, or help drive sales?
Measurement frameworks are most powerful when applied across the full campaign lifecycle. Early testing can identify ideas likely to earn attention; pre-launch analysis can highlight attribution risks while there's still time toact, and post-campaign measurement helps build a stronger brief for what comes next.
When integrated into a continuous brand tracking program, this provides a clear picture of how advertising is contributing to longer-term brand growth.
The Creative Edge Framework is The Research Agency’s approach to evaluating advertising effectiveness. It measures creative quality across three key elements:
Remarkable – Does thead stand out and capture attention?
Rewarding – Does the ad engage, entertain, or create an emotional response?
Remembered – Is the ad clearly linked to the brand?
Together, these elements help determine whether creative is likely to build memory and drive long-term brand impact.
We survey a nationally representative sample of Australians and New Zealanders and ask an unprompted question: “What is your favourite ad on TV at the moment?”
The ads mentioned most frequently form our Top 5, reflecting genuine cultural impact rather than recognition from a pre-defined list of ads.
In this research, “unprompted” means respondents are not shown a list to choose from – they recall ads from memory. This provides a more accurate measure of which campaigns are truly memorable and top-of-mind.
Ads are more likely to stick when they feel distinct, create an emotional response, and use consistent brand assets such as slogans, logos, sounds, and colours.
Elements like humour, storytelling, music, and cultural relevance can all improve memorability – but only when the brand is clearly linked to the idea.
To be remembered, a campaign needs to be both distinctive and consistent with what audiences have come to recognise about the brand.
An effective ad captures attention, creates an emotional or cognitive response, and is clearly linked to the brand.
The most effective ads balance three elements: being remarkable (attention-grabbing), rewarding (engaging or meaningful), and remembered (strongly branded).
Together, these three pillars form The Research Agency’s Creative Edge framework for evaluating advertising effectiveness.