The 20 Best Ads of 2024

Beyoncé leaned into her cowboy era, a gecko grew up, a barf bag went viral. Michael Cera pranked the nation, Waldo had an existential crisis, Ben Affleck realized his boy band dreams, and a potato chip lover got stuck in a time loop. 

The best ads of 2024 took us on a wild, inventive, funny, bizarre, unexpected, and sometimes emotional journey. Even as the ad industry faced great pressure and change, it proved its creative mettle—and often entertained us along the way. 

As we close out another eventful year, here’s a look back at the work that moved audiences and will stay with us for a long time to come. 

20. Geico | ‘The Legend of the Lizard’ by The Martin Agency

We all know the Geico Geck as the affable, erudite brand mascot since 1999. But do we really know him? A cheeky 15-minute documentary filled in the humble-origins-to-worldwide-fame backstory of the animated spokeslizard, complete with interviews from key characters in his life, like his football coach, his childhood best friend, and his co-workers. Most notably, Caveman made a snarky appearance. Geico gave the content a Hollywood blockbuster-style rollout, complete with trailers that ran during the 2024 Super Bowl pre-game. –T.L. Stanley

19. Tubi | ‘Free for Everyone’ by Mischief @ No Fixed Address

Mischief @ No Fixed Address conjured up more mischief in its latest ad for Tubi, sending the message that the streaming service is free for everyone. The spots begin with a voiceover stating that Tubi is free for people like first responders, teachers, small business owners, and other do-gooders. Then the ads take a dark turn, with the narrator clarifying that the service is also free for “thugs and cronies” who like to shake down small business owners, as well as people who steal copper pipes from open houses and kids who throw rocks through windows. Tubi is free for everyone, and they do mean everyone. The campaigns are working, as Tubi has surpassed 81 million monthly active users and reached 2.1% of total TV viewing time, according to Nielsen. –Kyle O’Brien

18. Spotify | ‘Spreadbeats’ by FCB New York

B2B marketing got a creative jolt with this wildly inventive campaign from Spotify and FCB New York. With the mundane media plan spreadsheet as its inspiration, the work, set to the tune “Shiver (Cassian Remix)” by John Summit, Hayla & Cassian, brought Excel to life with inventive animation. The transformation from 2D spreadsheet to a 3D canvas became a fully-immersive audio experience to demonstrate the power of Spotify’s platform for advertisers. The four-minute video was built in a 10mb emailable spreadsheet. Spotify sent its innovative RFP to thousands of media planners all over the globe. The stunt earned the Digital Craft Grand Prix at Cannes Lions. –Kyle O’Brien