Top campaigns 2024: Who killed the traditional TV ad?

It’s an intriguing case, with many suspects. Did TikTok decide time was up for TV marketing? Was the smartphone the culprit, with its easily concealed glass screen? Or could hungry upstart retail media have delivered the killer blow?

Whoever the perpetrator may be, TV is seemingly in a death spiral. A typical Brit’s live TV viewing time is now just 30-60 minutes per day, according to Attest’s 2024 UK media consumption report. Ofcom says the weekly reach of traditional TV fell by a record amount from 2022 to 2023, from 79% to 75% of the UK population – the second consecutive year of record decline. Attest research suggests it’s still falling: 22.6% of Brits don’t watch live TV at all, rising to a third of under 35s.

Brands are all too aware. The main commercial broadcasters all suffered huge slumps in advertising revenues in 2023. ITV CEO Carolyn McCall called it “the worst advertising recession since the global financial crisis”, while Channel 4 boss Alex Mahon warned traditional TV was “in market shock territory”.

The shift in habits is throwing into question the traditional marketing model, as brands increasingly funnel spend into more healthy-looking channels. So can TV be revived?

This year has cast some shade over the death verdict. In September, ITV’s McCall told a Royal Television Society convention “the ad market has recovered”. Mahon told the same audience she’d “seen a stabilisation”. ITV commercial MD Kelly Williams reported Labour’s foreshadowing of a tough budget had given brands jitters, but “we’re hopeful, once this government gets going, we might see stability and growth”.

But recovery is very limited. Latest forecasts from October’s Advertising Association/WARC Expenditure Report expect linear TV ad spend to have grown just 0.9% this year – even with the blockbuster occasions of the Paris Olympics and Euro 2024 – and to decline 0.2% in 2025. That’s despite overall ad spend being forecast to pass the £40bn barrier to £40.5bn this year.

As in many a murder mystery plot, several culprits have taken a stab at linear TV’s share. Consumption of TV-like content has shifted to on-demand services such as iPlayer, Netflix or YouTube. And when the TV is on, many viewers are scrolling their social media feeds.

As consumer attention shifts, so has ad spend. “Four in every five pounds spent on advertising so far this year has gone towards digital – money that has mostly been committed programmatically and that is increasingly leveraging AI tools,” says James McDonald, director of data, intelligence & forecasting at WARC.

Indeed, online – which includes social media and video-on-demand services – alone is putting “the UK’s ad market on course for its best year since the millennium, if the post-pandemic recovery year of 2021 is discounted”, McDonald adds.

Read more:

• What happens when retail media overtakes TV advertising?

• Co-op ramps up retail media offering with rollout of hundreds of front of store screens

• Here’s how fmcg brands can take TikTok to the next level

The digital switch is unlikely to ever reverse. According to Ofcom’s Online Nation report from November, UK adults are spending an average of 4 hours and 20 minutes each day online, a huge jump from the 3 hours and 41 minutes recorded in 2023. For 18 to 24-year-olds, the time is even longer.

“Gen Z and Alpha are used to swiping and streaming, not flipping through broadcast TV channels. They crave the flexibility, immediacy and choice that on-demand services offer,” says Ian Macrae, Ofcom director of market intelligence. “It’s no surprise the TV is fast becoming a device of choice to watch YouTube.”

For fmcg brands, retail media is rocketing in importance, too. Supermarkets are leveraging first-party shopper data to help brands sharpen the targeting of traditionally ‘upper-funnel’ channels like connected TV, social media and digital out of home. They’ve also been expanding in-store advertising opportunities with digital screens, branded bays, floor vinyls, shelf barkers and ‘store wraps’ – offering a potent way to sway shoppers right at the point of consideration.

Retail media’s extraordinary growth will – as Tesco told suppliers at a summer event – make the medium bigger in terms of ad spend than television by the end of 2025, behind only paid search and social media.

“It is absolutely feasible that retail media will over-take TV in investment,” says Georgina Evenden, business director at commerce media agency Capture. “Outside of physical PoS in store, fundamentally, retail media is a data source that super-charges media capabilities across multiple channels, enabling brands to create a truly omnichannel experience for consumers and a solution to drive personalisation at scale.”

Read more on retail media:

• Tesco to serve self-scan shoppers with ads based on their location within a store

• Retail media best practice: the five things that every brand needs to know

• ‘All I think about is retail media’: SMG and the billion-pound opportunity

But the death verdict may have been premature. The corpse twitches on the mortuary slab. It appears, despite heavy blows, there is still life in the format.

The live TV ad still “helps to familiarise consumers with a brand, building trust and credibility to maintain top-of-mind awareness”, says Evenden, meaning “a consumer at shelf-edge is more likely to purchase”. The most effective campaigns combine channels and are “planned holistically”, she believes.

Indeed, the best campaigns – like many of those seen on the following pages – combine a major TV or OOH campaign with other channels like in-store activations.

Broadcast TV advertising’s glory days might be behind it, but “while live TV may not have the pull it once did, its role in capturing those big moments that bring the nation together remains vital”, says Macrae.

Its role, then, is diminished, but not disappeared. “If we become too personalised, we risk not being able to tap into the broader conscience of the population,” Evenden says. “If we don’t spark a conversation with our consumers in the right way, we risk losing their attention on their path to purchase. The two need to work hand in hand for a campaign to ensure the overall message is consistent, memorable and relatable… I don’t foresee it dying out any time soon.”

Alcohol: Cider

Thatchers

The cider brand tapped the talents of Aardman Studios again this year. This time, their pint-sized farming family tried various sports, with the ads airing alongside top sporting events, reaching 45 million adults.

“Thatchers and Aardman are a perfect match,” says head of marketing Philip McTeer. “Not just because of our shared West Country heritage, or our attention to detail, but how we both marry traditional techniques with modern technology to achieve perfection.”

Alcohol: Liqueur & Aperitif

Aperol

Disco yoga, cocktail-making masterclasses, glitter make-up stations, Italian-inspired food, big-name DJs and, of course, plenty of Aperol-based drinks – all of these were enjoyed by punters at the aperitif giant’s multi-day events that took place across the UK this year.

The ‘aperidiscos’ were free, fun and – crucially – influencer-friendly, with countless posts from the events popping up on social media. “Contagious sociability” was the phrase in the brief. It succeeded.

Alcohol: Still Wine

Casillero del Diablo

The wine brand is entering its 10th year of sponsorship of Sky Cinema, a decade that has seen it rise up the category’s ranking in value terms in the UK.

Set to a chirpy cover of James Ray’s I’ve Got My Mind Set On You, the ad is a flame-licked, dance-led number, which replaces the seductive swarthiness of previous pushes with something lighter. “Music speaks every language,” says Claire Raine, UK brand chief at Concha y Toro. And this dance with the devil pays off.

Biscuits

Jammie Dodgers

Two young tweens are up to no good. After a bite of Dodger, they pull water pistols to soak their parents and granny.

The soundtrack – the Chemical Brothers’ Block Rockin’ Beats – really makes the ad, which is both high-octane and wholesome. The heart motif (the shape of the hole in the biscuit) appears throughout, in clouds, binoculars and grandma’s glasses. “Jam packed with mischief” goes the tagline. This ad certainly meets that brief.

Canned

Heinz Beanz

Immediately unsettling, this ad hooked viewers despite not really going anywhere beyond revealing Heinz’s collaboration with Richmond on a can of beans with sausages in.

But it became a hit on TikTok – thanks mostly to the repeated, goblin-voiced phrase “beanie weenies”. The sound clip trended on the platform through its use in countless posts, the audio meme now popping up in streams, podcasts and beyond. Two weird words equal a viral hit. Job done.

Chilled ready meals

Charlie Bigham’s

“Charlie Bigham – you couldn’t make him up!” states a cheery Richard Osman in this ad. “Even though most people think we have.”

His representation in animated form might not convince the doubters of his corporeality. But the medium is an engaging one with which to tell of his life “cooking food, tasting food and thinking about food”.

The voice of the real Bigham – we presume – delivers the neat tagline: “Handmade in my kitchen, cooked in yours.”

Confectionery: Chocolate

Cadbury

To mark its 200th anniversary year, the brand recreated its much-loved ‘Mum’s Birthday’ ad. An OOH campaign crowdsourced photos from old family albums that featured Cadbury products, and a generative AI tool allowed consumers to place themselves within a series of retro-styled posters.

As agency VCCP’s creative partner Chris Birch put it: “Crikey. 200 years old. That only happens when you have the relationship with the British public that Cadbury has.”

Confectionery: Sugar

Haribo

This year marked a decade of Haribo’s ‘kids voices’ advertising device, which still works as effectively as ever.

The brand’s chief commercial officer Herwig Vennekens recalls that “to be honest, we didn’t get it” when the concept was first pitched. The key, says Trevor Robinson of agency Quiet Storm, is allowing the children “freedom to say anything they want, just have a laugh and make each other giggle” – along with audiences the world over, too.

Cooking sauce

Dolmio

Dithering Brits spend around 37 hours a year trying to make up their minds about what to eat, according to a Dolmio-commissioned poll.

To remove the need for dinner time deliberation, the brand launched a Dolmio Drive-Thru in the ever-glamorous Sandbach Services on the M6 – the UK’s busiest service station.

The presence of self-confessed “penne fiend”, I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! winner Sam Thompson, gave the activation some star quality.

Dairy: alt/plant-based

Lurpak

The butter brand turned it up to 11 in its campaign marking Lurpak’s expansion into plant-based. Veggies get diced, sliced and sizzled by a long-haired rocker who treats his kitchen like a drum kit, all set to a heavy metal soundtrack. The tagline ‘Crush expectations’ is spot on.

“While most marketing in plant-based leans towards a natural, calm approach, we treated promoting this how Lurpak would treat any piece of comms,” said senior brand manager Mia Lund Moeller.

Dairy: Drink

Actimel

Lead character Emma is shadowed by a doppelganger who’s always there with an umbrella or blanket as the need arises. The dead ringer is Emma’s immune system, of course, who could do with a little looking after too – and gets its via an Actimel shot. “Support what supports you” we’re told.

There’s a swift science bit – though we’re not sure how scientific the image of an ‘immune cell’ actually is – but it’s the twin thing that resonates: a memorable metaphor indeed.

Dairy: Yoghurts

Activia

Recent years have seen raised awareness about the importance of a happy gastrointestinal system, but few are confident in knowing how to achieve it – something Danone-owned yoghurt brand Activia sought to solve with its Good Gut Guide series on Instagram.

The brand tapped S Club star Rachel Stevens and TV health expert Dr Zoe Williams as the flawless but friendly faces of the show, posted in resolution-making season. After all, there ain’t no party like a gut health party.

Flavourings/seasonings

Oxo

It’s a wholesome scenario: grandparents arrive for a birthday meal, and the daughter suggests the addition of a stock pot. Pops’ verdict? “It’s delicious,” prompting the sassy young girl to comment: “Well, I can’t take all the credit.” Cue laughter all around the table.

Reminiscent of the legendary Oxo ads of the 1980s and 1990s, the aim is to “remind consumers of the importance of bringing the family together over mealtimes”, says Premier Foods’ Mark Alldred.

Frozen: Ready Meals

Birds Eye

The mundane activity of microwaving a meal for lunch is made into “something mean, something hot” with saucy narration provided by a Jilly Cooper-like character who appears suddenly – on a velvet chair surrounded by steam – in a couple’s kitchen. The man’s sandwich droops as the woman gives a satisfied exhale at her “sauciest lunchtime ever”. Steamy is very much the word.

The tone of the brand’s Steamfresh range has become “something more tongue-in-cheek”, said Jess Ali, head of marketing. “We hope to welcome new fans into the brand and show them that lunchtimes no longer need to be boring.”

The introduction of the vamp narrator character leads to the tantalising possibility that the – increasingly swarthy – Captain Birdseye might one day meet his match. Ahoy-la-la.

Hot Beverages: Tea

Yorkshire Tea

Sean Bean, Patrick Stewart and the Kaiser Chiefs have all featured in the tea brand’s ads in the past, with the ‘big star in a banal setting’ concept making for some highly effective ads.

But it was a cold-pitched idea by freelance creative developer Ted Littledale that helped Yorkshire Tea capture the attention of consumers this year.

Brewtone.ai saw tea drinkers upload images of their brews, which were analysed by an AI ‘Brewbot’ to generate a social media-shareable ‘Tea Profile’.

Household: Laundry

Persil

A signed Bukayo Saka shirt is the pride of an Arsenal-obsessed young girl in Persil’s ad campaign this year. That is until her dad washes it. “Why would you do that?” she huffs. Her new mission: get it signed again. She tracks the footballer online and chases his flash car around the city. To no avail.

She’s crestfallen – until Saka suddenly appears to sign her shirt and give her a hug. Who said never meet your heroes?

“We’ve always championed resilience, kindness and determination,” says Nathan Palmer, marketing director home care, Unilever UK&I. The campaign, he adds, “encapsulates everything we stand for, executed in a way that truly cuts through”.

The on-screen small print – ‘signed with a washable marker’ – closes the obvious plot hole and doesn’t detract from some genuinely moving storytelling.

Meat

Richmond

Ah, the joy of cancelled plans. Here, heavy rain means a girl’s football match is abandoned, so she and her dad race back and get into their comfies for a cosy day at home.

A warm bath, big dressing gown, vinyl records – being stuck indoors doesn’t get much better. Except it does – with a Richmond sausage sandwich.

In just a few shots, and with no dialogue, the pair’s closeness and shared joy in the simple pleasure of a rainy day inside is expertly captured.

Meat snacks

Peperami

Unseen on TV for close to a decade, Peperami’s anarchic brand mascot The Animal made his small screen return this year.

Despite displaying behaviours that might well get him cancelled if he were a flesh-and-blood celebrity, the anthropomorphised sausage stick is well loved by consumers. And 81% of UK adults remember him well, research found.

“The Animal is such a nostalgic force that staying faithful to what makes him great, whilst also moving him along, has been a real journey,” says Mark Campion at Fearless Union, the brand’s recently appointed agency.

The mascot will be steered in a more “conscientious and empathetic direction” forthwith – so probably won’t be seen grating off his own head anytime soon. But he’s still, thankfully, “a bit of an animal”.

Personal Care: Deodorants

Lynx

The brand launched a ‘fine fragrance’ line this year to shake up the category, says marketing manager Josh Plimmer, by “challenging those traditional luxury symbols of the fragrance world”.

The £15m TV spot does just that with the help of American rapper Lil Baby, along with heavy references to gaming, music, anime and other Gen Z lad loves (like tearing round a shopping mall). It’s “dripping with surreal Lynx energy”, as Plimmer puts it.

Personal Care: Oral

Oral-B

A cheesy smile from a celebrity holding the product is a bit old hat in advertising these days, but it appropriately lives on in Oral-B’s electric toothbrush ad.

The famous face is – like many other top campaigns this year – a footballer, namely Manchester City and England defender John Stones.

There’s always a risk (or maybe reward) that brands leveraging footballers find their ambassador in some sordid tabloid scandal. But Stones’ teeth, at least, remain squeaky clean.

Personal care: Shaving

Gillette

There’s a long history of advert songs that have become chart hits. Take Coca-Cola’s I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing or Brutus Jeans’ Jeans On. Music To Watch Girls By and We’ve Only Just Begun both have ad jingle origins, too.

The concept lives on with Gillette. Its The Best a Man Can Get – first aired in the 1980s – was resung by singer and songwriter Tom Grennan last Christmas, but this year’s behind-the-scenes look at the recording process led to a groundswell of fans calling for it to be released as a single.

“I have finally caved,” Grennan revealed in August to his followers. His take on the anthemic tune ultimately didn’t trouble the charts too much, but the whole experience did mean – as he told the Big Issue – he could pay off his parents’ mortgage.

Personal Care: Toothpaste

Colgate

The amount invested in podcast advertising is up 23% year on year, according to the latest IAB/PwC Digital Adspend report. And UK podcast listeners are a coveted audience: more likely to be employed, affluent and educated, but broad in age, gender and ethnicity, according to Edison Research.

So it was a savvy move by Colgate to launch its first-ever UK podcast ad campaign, and to go big by backing one of the most popular pods: Steven Bartlett’s The Diary of a CEO.

Savoury Pastries

Ginsters

Launching its £4m ‘Taste The Effort’ campaign – featuring “veg-obsessed” farmer Merryn – in 2023, Ginsters put another £4.5m behind it this year. It’s been money well spent: frequency is up, with current shoppers buying more often, and the marketing has reached more than 98% of UK adults 25 times.

The character is shown being a scarecrow, talking to plants via a baby monitor at night, and tearfully sending off her potatoes in a truck. A brand champ with cross-demographic appeal.

“We religiously track our brand equity, which helps us understand how the brand is perceived,” says Sarah Babb, interim marketing director. “All our metrics and key associations have moved forward.

“We’re now more meaningful and different than ever before. We’ve also made progress in the minds of a younger audience.”

Soft Drinks: Sports & energy

Red Bull

Its backing of both obscure and mainstream sports provides Red Bull with a rich source of shareable content – like pitting F1 drivers against each other in a dune buggy race with added lifeguard-themed challenges.

Elsewhere, the brand’s ‘Strictly Come Dancing for Gen Z’ mixed-style competition, Red Bull Dance Your Style, saw dancers do their thing to a track unknown to them, with the champ determined by audience vote. The global event really hit its stride this year. Ten!

Spreads

Marmite

The tongue-in-cheek documentary ad about those risking it all to shift Marmite across the Atlantic was just the icing on this brilliant yeast-based cake of a campaign.

Seemingly flyposted ‘smugglers wanted’ contact details were put up around major UK cities. Thousands of WhatsApp messages were exchanged, and according to creative agency Adam&EveDDB at least two would-be mules “offered to put jars inside themselves”.

Without doubt: love it.