The 20 Best Ads of 2024

3. Gap | ‘Get Loose’ by Invisible Dynamics

Gap has been on a comeback tour, and one of its biggest headliners this year was Troye Sivan. The Australian pop star led a head-bopping choreographed dance to Thundercat’s “Funny Thing,” featuring all of the dancers clad in Gap’s denim. The aesthetic is a nod to the retailer’s peak in the 1990s and 2000s, while spotlighting a young talent who is very of the moment. Led by creative director Zac Posen, Gap’s joyful advertising is a return to form. –Brittaney Kiefer

2. DoorDash | ‘DoorDash-All-The-Ads’ by Wieden+Kennedy and Superette

DoorDash’s ambitious approach to the Super Bowl this year resulted in the biggest giveaway the Big Game has ever seen. The delivery app used its 30 seconds of air time to give away every item advertised during Super Bowl 58. The ad gave a dizzying tour of all the things someone could win, from luxury cars to Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups to a thousand wings from Popeyes. A man from Texas won the giveaway and received $500,000 worth of prizes, while the campaign went on to win the Titanium Grand Prix at Cannes Lions. The elaborate product demo pushed the limits of collaboration, with Wieden+Kennedy developing a new brand platform and building the sweepstakes alongside the brand’s in-house creative studio, Superette. DoorDash also worked with all the other Super Bowl advertisers and the NFL to make the giveaway possible. –Kyle O’Brien

1. CeraVe | ‘Michael CeraVe’ by Ogilvy

Early this year, actor Michael Cera started exhibiting some strange behavior. He was seen signing bottles of CeraVe moisturizer in a Brooklyn pharmacy and carting bags of the product around New York City, photos of which ended up in Page Six. He dramatically walked out of a podcast recording when asked about his ties to the L’Oréal brand. Was Cera trying to build a side hustle as a skincare influencer, or was he actually the founder of CeraVe? The truth was finally revealed in CeraVe’s first Super Bowl ad: it had all been an elaborate prank to build buzz. CeraVe and Ogilvy broke the mold by creating an influencer-led Super Bowl approach, capturing the attention of the general public long before the Big Game. It went on to win a Social & Influencer Grand Prix at Cannes Lions. Just to reiterate, CeraVe was developed by professional dermatologists, not Cera. –Brittaney Kiefer