8 Best Advertising Moments of 2018

As a sales technology company, we don’t always spend time focusing on the creative work that advertising professionals are actually delivering once deals were made. Today, that changes! We’ve put together a round-up of the best advertising moments of 2018, celebrating the spots that stood out and will inspire more great work in 2019.

Our top picks for 2018 ads are entertaining, heartwarming, and downright effective, but we’d like to know: did we miss anything? Share your top choices for the best TV spots or campaign launches in the comments below.

The best advertising moments of 2018:

1. Bud Light: Redemption

Dilly dilly lives on! This time, in the brand’s summer seasonal ad, along with recurring character Sir Doug, who made an appearance in the first commercials in the series. Bud Light is the official sponsor of the World Cup, so the commercial released in May to get fans excited and put “dilly dilly” back in their minds as the summer season approached.

2. Amazon: Alexa Loses Her Voice

Amazon’s first-ever Super Bowl ad set the bar high, incorporating celebrities like Rebel Wilson, Cardi B, Gordon Ramsay, and Sir Anthony Hopkins. The indispensable voice of Alexa is filled in by the celebrities, using humor to imagine a world where Alexa has gone rogue. This ad mocks technology and our addiction to it while emphasizing the growing reliance on the Virtual Assistant, resulting in a collective 🙈.

3. Squarespace: Make It

Keanu Reeves starred in an epic 2018 Super Bowl commercial in which he pulled off a major motorcycle stunt cruising down a desert highway. As luck should have it, Reeves co-founded a motorcycle company — and just so happens to be a Squarespace customer. Combining celebrity endorsement, entrepreneurship, and action stunts, the spot was a juggernaut for the plug-and-play website hosting company. The commercial really sends home Squarespace’s mission to empower individuals, particularly those with an entrepreneurial spirit.

4. Tourism Australia: The Son of a Legend Returns Home

With the second installment of its hugely popular Dundee campaign, Tourism Australia made an appearance in the line up of 2018 Super Bowl ads. This $8 million dollar ad takes the audience through a tour of the film set with the third-most-famous-of-three Hemsworth brother, Luke, as their guide. The Hemsworth brothers were a natural fit for this campaign: as some of Australia’s most resonate global exports, all three brothers embody the friendly and welcoming spirit Australia wants to portray. Better still, according to sources, this campaign has worked! Since the campaign launched there has been a 22% increase in American tourists traveling to Hamilton Island, which is largely attributed to the attention brought to it by the ad (and, possibly, the idea that Australia is populated with more Hemsworths).

5. Tide: It’s a Tide Ad

“This is a Tide ad” was one of the most-uttered phrases of Super Bowl LII. The detergent company chose to make spots that look like they’re promoing other products into Tide ads by pointing out that, for the most part, ads that feature clean clothes are basically Tide ads. It was ingenious and well-received! According to sources, this was ranked one of the most effective of any Super Bowl LII ads by nearly 4,000 marketing pros surveyed. Tide’s success continued and by Q3 they had been mentioned on Twitter more than any Super Bowl advertiser excluding new film trailers. Once the NFL season began, the campaign was not as wildly successful but accomplished its purpose in the Super Bowl beyond belief. Stranger Things star David Harbour starred throughout the commercial as he was inserted into other well-known advertisements.

6. Apple: Welcome Home

At times, an advertisement can lack a connection between the actual product and the art and creativity involved in the making of the ad. Apple absolutely nailed the promotion for the Apple HomePod, depicting a moment of magic within an apartment when the star actress discovers the value the HomePod adds to her daily life. The purpose of the commercial is to emphasize how crucial sound quality can be to your attitude and enjoyment. According to sources, the film earned Apple the Cannes Lions Branded Entertainment Grand Prix in music along with multiple Gold honors.

7. Jeep: Jurassic World

The new 2018 Jeep Wrangler is introduced through a tribute to the original Jurassic Park film and was shockingly similar to the film’s look and footage. National hero and forever ageless jazz pianist Jeff Goldblum reprised his Jurassic Park role, complete with the iconic T-Rex chase scene. Sure, it’s all in his head, but this spot still knocked it out of (Jurassic) Park.

8. Universal Studios: Vacation Quarterback

Two-time Super Bowl champion Peyton Manning was featured as the vacation quarterback in a Super Bowl Ad for Universal Parks and Resorts. Manning coaches families and their children to take their vacation to the next level and joins the families to make sure they are following his directions and having fun. The tone of the commercial is extremely light-hearted but was successful due to featuring a football fan favorite.

Now that we’ve shared our thoughts on the 2018 advertisements, we would love to hear yours as well! Who’s going to step it up in 2019? What advertisers will make the biggest splash during Super Bowl LIII?

Tune in next month to find our picks for favorite Super Bowl ads!