The Cubery Hot List serves as the quarterly barometer for marketers and agencies—ranking Australia’s 10 most memorable ads, as recalled by everyday consumers.
Every month, Cubery asks thousands of Australians a simple question “Can you recall an ad from the past few months that really stuck with you— whether you loved it or hated it?”
This study maps the intersection of emotion, attention, and media muscle, revealing what’s really cutting through, getting noticed, and striking a chord with the general public.
The Top 10
The final quarter of 2025 saw a new leader emerge as the nation’s most unforgettable ad. Testament to the power of consistency, Australian Retirement Trust’s long running ‘Awaken Your Super’ campaign displaced Telstra’s whistling walker as Australia’s stickiest creative.
“What’s great about A.R.T.’s long-term conviction is that they now have a character that they can undeniably call their own,” said Wil Logan, senior consultant at Cubery.
“With this crucial branding element safe in their back pocket, A.R.T. is now afforded greater creative flexibility, safe in the knowledge that the brand will be instantly triggered every time the big blue monster makes an appearance.”
Top category performers for 2025
To mark the end of 2025, we also looked at cumulative results across the year to uncover the best performing ads within three key verticals: Insurance, Banking, and Automotive.
“Of course, a brand’s advertising doesn’t just compete with other brands in its own category—it’s fighting against every piece of creative out there in order to attract attention and leave a mark,” commented Logan. “That said, it’s still useful for brands to see how they stack up against their competitors in order to give themselves the best chance of being thought of when people ultimately enter the category.”
Consistently featured in the rankings throughout the year, Allianz’s ‘Flight of the Finch’ emerged as the top performing insurance creative for 2025, beating out RACQ and Budget Direct.
For the banking sector, the campaign of ‘Doubt Never Did’ worked wonders for CBA, while the ‘Just Enough Bank’ from Bankwest punched above its weight to keep the brand front of mind. NAB’s house chase in ‘More than Money’ rounded out the Top 3.
Finally, the launch campaign for the Kia Tasman intertwined celebrity, storytelling, and humour to top the automotive rankings, edging out Toyota’s ‘In a Pickle’s bog hole and Mitsubishi’s light-hearted collaboration with the legendary Russell Coight.
