From Barbie to Brand Partnership Pasta Sauces, here are the best advertising campaigns of 2023.
As 2023 comes to a close, I am looking back on the year and wondering what were the best ads that I saw this year. A lot happened in 2023, we crowned a new king, had a world cup, watched our childhood toys come to life, and so much more. There was a lot of great advertising this year and this is by no means an exhaustive list of the great marketing and advertising campaigns that I saw this year. This is a list of the top 5 campaigns that I saw in 2023 and why I think they are the best.
The Barbie Movie - Warner Bros X Mattel X The Whole World
No one will deny that this was the year of Barbie. I could write a whole article about the best campaigns that the Barbie movie did. They had some truly ingenious ideas and truly took advantage of every possible ad medium. The Barbie movie was so big that other brands hopped on and released pink lines of their products this year to commemorate it. I am personally here for it. I loved to see all of the pink-ified campaigns this year. It was a creative challenge for every brand how they were going to take advantage of the year of the Barbie.
Cancer won’t be the last thing that f*cks me - Smash the stigma
Powerful and iconic are the two words that stood out to me when I first saw this campaign. I love this campaign because it brings to light an issue that many people do not consider. The 'Cancer Won't Be the Last Thing That F*cks Me' campaign is one of the most powerful campaigns of the year. It immediately makes me want to go hug a woman with breast cancer and scream into the void that cancer sucks. But this ad leaves me feeling hope for the world that we live in and the capacity to overcome and love. That is why I included it in this list.
Iftar Incoming - Uber Eats
Time, thought, and technology went into this campaign. Uber Eats created a campaign for the month of Ramadan that changes every day. Uber Eats took advantage of dynamic digital advertising to place ads each day that had the time of sunset, or when Muslims can break their fast. The ads were location and day-specific so every day the ads were changed to reflect the time of sunset that day in that location. It is the extra engagement aspect of this that raises the bar for me. I think that we will see more brands follow Uber Eats and get creative with ways to utilize dynamic digital placements.
Absolut + Heinz
We see so many brand partnerships these days and often I find myself asking 'why?' Oftentimes, these campaigns come off as forced, useless, and a cash grab. But the Absolut + Heinz campaign took something that consumers were already doing and made it a product, a vodka sauce. I think that it works well for Absolut because it's marketing that doesn't focus on the 'drinking' aspect of their product but rather on how else you can use your Absolut vodka. It works for Heinz because it expands the typical view of their brand which is condiments, not tomatoes. Overall I give this the non-Barbie brand partnership of the year.
The Pits of New York - Dove
No one works harder than Dove's advertising team. From their Real Beauty campaigns to their Self Esteem Project, Dove is committed to changing women's beauty standards for the better. Their newest campaign in New York is no different. The "Pits of New York" campaign encourages women to #freethepit. I had to include this campaign in this list because what is a top advertising campaign list without a Dove brand entry, and because when I first saw this ad in person it caught my eye and made me think. I will remember this ad campaign for a long time which is a huge measurement of success.
That's the list! These are my top 5 advertising campaigns of 2023! What do you think? Did I miss any campaigns that happened in 2023 that you think should have been included in this list?
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