New emotional response insights from System1’s Test Your Ad platform and Competitive Edge database have revealed the top ten global ads from 2025 by emotional response, channel and category cut-through.
The list recognises brands based on how strongly each ad performed relative to direct competitors, highlighting the creative choices that delivered distinctiveness and a measurable competitive edge. While System1’s Star Rating is widely used to predict long-term brand-building potential, this ranking focuses on a different win: memorable impact within the category, across channels and contexts where attention is hard-won.
Across this year’s top ten, a clear pattern emerged. The most effective work used emotion strategically. Consistency and commitment to distinctive brand assets showed up repeatedly, alongside campaigns that deliberately went against category conventions. Many embraced bold storytelling shifts, including creative uses of AI, and a wide emotional range, from amusement and surprise to tension, sadness and even moments of negativity, to sustain attention and drive engagement.
“Cut-through is not about playing it safe or copying the category mood of the moment. It is about deliberately choosing an emotional stance that makes your brand impossible to ignore,” chief customer officer at System1 and Uncensored CMO host Jon Evans said.
“This year’s top ads prove there is no single formula for earning attention. From Irn-Bru’s culturally sharp humour and Dove’s long-standing commitment to real beauty, to deliberately provocative work from American Eagle and Lynx, the common thread is intent. When brands fully commit to an emotion, whether that is joy, discomfort or something more challenging, they create memorability, conversation and commercial impact. That is how attention is earned in a sea of sameness,” Evans added.
The Top 10 Ads of 2025
Best in Brand-Building
Dove & Zulu Alpha Kilo “#ChangetheCompliment” (US)
3.1 Star Rating uplift higher than the ‘Soaps and Personal Wash’ category.
Best in Short-Term Impact
Warburtons & Procure Worldwide, Joyful & Triumphant
0.55 Spike Rating uplift higher than the ‘Bakery Category’.
Best in Brand Recall
Uber & Mother “In Good Time” (UK)
26 per cent higher fluency versus the ‘Mobile App’ category, and 28 per cent higher than the average for “Travel”, making it the most recalled brand versus the category.
Best of Festive
Coca-Cola & WPP Open X & VML “Holidays are coming” (US & UK)
Top scoring holiday/Christmas ad in the US and UK across Star, Spike & Fluency Rating.
Most Provocative
American Eagle, in-house “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” (US)
16 per cent uplift in negative emotion ‘contempt’ versus the ‘Fashion’ category, making it the most polarising ad of the year.
Most Subversive
Lynx & Lola Mullenlowe “Lynx Lower Body Spray” (UK)
21 per cent uplift in emotional response ‘disgust’ higher than the category, tapping into one of the rarest emotions to cut-through.
Best in Comedy
Irn-Bru & Lucky Generals “Made in Scotland for Girders” (Scotland)
56 per cent ‘Amusement’ score, the highest across all categories in 2025.
Best in Sport
Uber Eats & Special “Football is For Food” (US)
48 per cent uplift in ‘happiness’ versus sport-themed ads, a category that typically struggles to resonate with mass audiences and skews toward already-engaged fans.
Best in Outdoor
Cadbury & VCCP “All Heroes, No Zeroes” (UK)
First ever 5.9 Star Rating for outdoor, against an average of 2.5 Stars.
Least Dull
Volvo & Lion Creative “Come Back Stronger” (Saudi Arabia)
Volvo’s ad has just 12 per cent neutral feeling, which is the least commercially impactful (long-term or short-term) emotional response in advertising. This is a 37 per cent decrease versus the car category.
